


The Girl Who Vanished (Years 1-2)

by poggersmydudes



Series: The Girl Who Vanished [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Canon, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Blood and Injury, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fred Weasley Dies, Fred Weasley Lives, Fred Weasley/OC - Freeform, Frenemies, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lucius Malfoy Being an Asshole, Mild Blood, Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, Romance, slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:55:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 110,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29322027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poggersmydudes/pseuds/poggersmydudes
Summary: Bibiana Malfoy grew up being exactly who she thought she was supposed to be. Perfect little daughter, perfect little student, perfect little liar. And she was fine with that.But that changes when she discovers the lies everyone has kept from her. With help from a set of twins and a shy boy, she has to piece together the secrets that reveal not only who she is, but who she wants to be.
Relationships: Fred Weasley/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Girl Who Vanished [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2153820
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13





	1. The Hogwarts Express

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I will be uploaded "The Girl Who Vanished" on both AO3 and Wattpad. However, with the recent deletions, I wanted to have another platform for the story. The content will remain the same. Thank you so much for all the support you guys have already shown my story! I appreciate it so much.

Stomping footsteps were coming behind her, pushing her into the closet. An unfamiliar voice pleaded with her, in a hushed tone, "Stay here, honey. Please don't leave. I'll be right back." She didn't know why she was here or why there was so much yelling, but something inside her told her to trust them. Nothing about this felt normal. This has never happened before and all she wanted was to leave her hiding space, but she stayed nonetheless.

Darkness surrounded her on all sides, the only separation between her and what she was told to avoid was a wooden door that seemed less safe by the minute. Her heartbeat was in her throat, making her incredibly aware of how loud her breathing was, willing it to be quieter. The silence she buried herself in was disturbed by a deafening crash, the walls around her shaking violently. She wanted to scream, but the sound got lodged in her throat, a fury of panic running up her spine.

She woke up with a jolt, her head beading with sweat at the reoccurring nightmare that plagued her sleep far too many times. The surrounding air was chilly making her shiver despite her body feeling like it was on fire. It's been a few months since the last time she dreamt of that horrible scene, never remembering much of it, other than the fact she'd be incredibly happy to never have to experience it again. Sleep was supposed to bring her peace, and being robbed of that peace only made her worry about how the rest of the day would play out.

The door creaked open, her mother walking in with a vial in her hand. "Today's the day, Ana," she hummed stoically. Her mother always spoke to her with a sort of gentleness, making the young girl smile. "Are you ready?" The tall woman handed her the vial, Ana dipping her head back to take her daily medicine.

"I think I'm ready," Ana sighed, her brows furrowed, making a deep crease form in the space where an eleven year old should not have lines. "I had that nightmare again, mum."

The admission made her mother nod understandingly, having been here before with her daughter. She took a seat at the foot of the bed, staring at her hands. A comfortable silence filled the space between them as she waited for her mother to respond. The family owl began squawking as it circled the building, momentarily distracting the girl until her mother spoke.

"Well, we could focus on the dream," she huffed, "Or we could get you fed, and showered. The train leaves at eleven o'clock on the dot." Ana knew that going on and on about her dream would do her no good, having tried talking about it with both her parents. Neither of them cared to give dreams much attention. And the even yet unwavering look on her mother's face sealed the deal. The girl nodded, handing the empty vial back to her mother.

Finding a new sense of excitement, Ana sat up with a soft smile on her face. "Then I guess, it's time for me to get ready," she buzzed, playing with her long silver hair between her fingers.

"That sounds like a smart plan."

"Will father be joining us to the train?"

The question made her mother smile although the joy never fully reached her eyes. "No. Your father had some business at the ministry he has to take care of. You understand?"

Ana always understood. Her father took his job incredibly serious and spent most of his time away from the rest of the family. To be honest, that didn't bother her given that he was far too intense for his own good. Or anyone else's. His absence wasn't the worst thing that could happen today. It wasn't a surprise for him to disappear, but Ana hoped her father would want to say goodbye to her given she would be away until the holidays.

"I understand."

"Good," her mother stood up, making her way to the hallway, "make sure you look presentable. You are a Malfoy, after all." And with that, her mother turned without a second glance, leaving her daughter to herself.

~

The family arrived at King's Cross station at ten thirty, making sure to get there with enough time to not feel rushed. It wasn't her first time at the station, but this would be the first time she ever arrived knowing she wouldn't be going back home. She could only imagine that the Hogwarts Express was magical, for lack of a better word. Her suitcase felt like a thousand pounds in her shaky palm, while her other hand held the vice grip that belonged to her younger brother. The two of them had always been close, especially since there weren't a lot of people to talk to back at the manor. Sure, their mother would keep them company and their father would take notice of them every once in a while, but it wasn't much. And sometimes any attention was bad intention. But she and her brother, they were enough.

Ana's eyes began to scan the surrounding people bustling in and out of the station, trying to find anyone that she might suspect would be going to Hogwarts too. But her being so short did nothing to help her, so she resigned to following her mother's lead.

Abruptly, her mother stopped, which caused a buildup behind them and earned them a few choice words from a man who clearly seemed to be in a rush. The three of them paid him no attention.

"You know what we have to do now, don't you?" asked her mother.

Ana nodded, remembering how she found having to walk through a brick pillar so bizarre. She couldn't ever imagine that snippet of information not making a lasting impression. Her mother told her to follow her lead, and without drawing any attention to herself, she rested the full length of her body against the wall. One moment she was there, the next she was gone. Her brother looked up at Ana with great gray eyes, astounded by the sight.

"It'll be alright, Draco," Ana mused. "Just close your eyes and follow me." He gulped nervously, but allowed his body to be practically dragged by his older sister as she picked up speed and aimed straight for the wall between platforms 9 and10. Before impact, she too shut her eyes tightly, half expecting to be thrown back, but her stride never stopped. She was instantly met with a whistle and the smell of burning coal.

When she opened her eyes, she saw one of the largest trains she could imagine, being filled with young wizards. Each of them sporting a color on their robes, as they hugged their families and gave their final goodbyes. Nothing had ever seemed so wonderful and Ana couldn't help the smile that spread across her pale face. She continued walking, coming to the side of her mother who had been waiting for the two to cross over.

"It's getting closer to eleven, Bibiana," her mother reminded her loudly, having to raise her voice to compete with the shouting that came from every angle. In any other situation, the idea of her mother yelling would have seemed ridiculous, but at this moment, Ana was just happy to hear her mother at all.

As the three of them came closer to one of the entrances, she felt a tug coming from behind her. The look on her brother's face crushed her. His lower lip was jutted out in one of the biggest pouts she had ever seen. He was known for being a bit dramatic, but even this was a lot coming from him.

"Don't go, Ana," Draco asked, his lip starting to quiver as his eyes grew glossy.

"Draco, I have to go."

"Or you could stay one more year until it's my turn," he tried to reason, the sound of hope laced within his words. Every part of her wanted to do as he said, but as the clock grew closer to eleven o'clock, she knew that leaving him was unavoidable.

"I wish I could," she sighed, trying not to feel guilty. "But we both know I can't. You can write me as much as you like. And I mean as much as you'd like. Deal?" His brows softened at her, a little nod coming from the blonde boy.

Her mother's voice diverted her attention, "Bibiana, you should board soon. And don't forget to take your medicine every morning. Professor Snape will make sure you have enough." The station had started to become less crowded, but it was clear that her mother wanted their sendoff to be quick. Despite knowing this day would come, Ana couldn't help the trickle of anxiousness that settled at the base of her stomach. She gave her brother a wink, which made the young boy chuckle as their mother pulled him away from her. A moment passed, her looking back at her mother, who gave her a quick rub at her shoulder. Their family was not the most affectionate, so Ana knew that was all she'd be getting out of her.

She smiled softly at the two, "I'll see you at Christmas." Draco bounced on the balls of his feet, happy to have something to look forward to.

Ana grabbed her suitcase, the wheels catching every crack as she made her way to the train. An attendant at the door helped her haul the luggage up, and she thanked him before setting off into the craziness of the train. Students had been filling the compartments, three to six of them all squished with each other, and the thought of being so close to countless strangers only made the sinking feeling in her stomach worsen.

After a few moments of having her head on a swivel, Ana came by a compartment that was empty, which made her silently rejoice. She nearly fell inside the little room as she took a seat by the window, staring at the platform that was still full with students and families saying their final goodbyes. A part of her wanted to find her brother and mother, but a larger part of her knew that they were probably long gone. She didn't get much chance to lament their leaving, because at that moment a boy who looked to be a few years older than her, opened the door to her compartment.

"You wouldn't mind if I sat here would you? This is the last spot that I could find," said the boy. His pointed face looked at her with such purpose that she nodded before she even had time to consider it. Although he all about jumped at the chance to sit, so she saw no point in turning him down anyways. He looked like he had a rough morning; his red hair was sticking out in all directions, making him look like he just fought with a windstorm and lost. After putting his luggage up on the rack, he sat down in a huff and looked back up at her.

He held out his gangly hand at her, "Percy Weasley. Fourth year Gryffindor, future Head Boy," he announced as if she knew what that meant. Sure she had heard of Gryffindors, not favorable things, but she heard of them. The Head Boy part had her stumped. She gave him a curt nod, hoping she could avoid shaking his hand and he didn't seem to notice. In fact, he didn't seem all that interested in her at all, especially after a girl in blue robes, named Penelope, entered the compartment as well. The girl in blue gave all of her attention to the red headed boy, effectively icing her out, which wasn't offensive to Ana. She enjoyed her own company. But that did not last long either.

"Perce! Did mom give you my luggage? Cause I'm looking for a Zonko's-" another red headed boy came bustling into the room, making Ana wonder how many were on the train. He stopped his sentence and took a look at Ana who looked out of place among the older students.

"What do you want, George?" asked Percy annoyed at the outburst.

"Yeah, you have my luggage," the boy explained. "Mum switched them up."

The older boy's face turned serious. "Don't think you can be pulling out those Zonko products on the train. One mishap and you'll be losing us house points before term even starts."

George rolled his eyes, which made Ana snicker. The expression was one that Draco would often pull behind their father's back, the memory making her miss him despite only having left him. The young boy smiled at Ana's reaction, making him focus in on the first year.

"Is he," George pointed to who she assumed was his brother, "bothering you?"

Reluctantly, she began, "I wouldn't say-"

"No! I am not bothering her," Percy defended, cutting her off without a care. Ana slumped back in her seat, not finding this little exchange very fun.

"Well, she doesn't seem to be having fun. What are you even talking about?"

"I was telling Penelope about my plan for inter-house networking syste-"

George animatedly began to snore, which shut his brother right up. "You wanna join me and my friends in our compartment? Ya know, one that won't bore you to death?" He looked at Ana with a smirk, and Ana merely stood up and grabbed the handle of her luggage, waiting for George to guide her to his compartment. With his correct luggage, the two came to a compartment that was filled with three students: a young black boy with the most intricate braids she'd ever seen, a black girl whose eyes glowed like honey and-

"There's two of you?" Ana blurted. A snort escaped the red head that was sitting in the compartment and George laughed from behind her, taking the liberty of lifting her luggage up onto the shelf.

"Well, she's a clever girl, isn't she George?" said the double. She sat down opposite him, next to the boy with the braids. All of them were clearly relaxed, they were either slouched in their seats or leaning on one another. Their easy way of being close to one another was something that caught her off guard. They must be close, she figured.

"She was sitting with Percy. Had to save her from an early death," joked George, jumping onto the cushion and resting his feet on the opposite seat, stretching himself out. He had to fully extend his body in order to reach the seat, but he did it even if he struggled.

"I'm Angelina Johnson!" chimed the girl, a bright smile on her face.

"Lee Jordan!"

"I'm Fred," said the twin. His hand deep in his luggage, clearly looking for something. "And you are?" All of them were wearing red robes, and if she had not seen the girl Penelope wearing blue, she would've assumed that theirs was the only house that existsed Hogwarts.

"I'm Bibiana, but you could just call me Ana," she explained, relaxing into her seat.

"You're a first year!"

Ana glanced at Fred's observation, giggling at him, "Well, you're a clever boy." She mimicked. He didn't respond, but the cheeky glare he gave her was enough for her to feel like she won their exchange.

They went on to discuss what had happened last year, Ana sensing that the twins had no problem with breaking school rules for their own enjoyment. She wasn't a stickler for rules and would go around them if necessary, but she couldn't help but notice that the twins were anything but discreet. Their hair and loud voices alone made them stick out. 

She couldn't help but stare at the two twins; she had never seen a lot of them before. It was almost scary how similar they were, down to the freckle they were perfect mirrors of each other. While all four of them chatted and laughed among them, she resorted to analyzing them, trying to pick them apart.

Her focus interrupted, though when the topic of Quidditch came up; Quidditch was one of her favorite parts of the wizarding world. She and Draco would often spend every hour they could on a broomstick within their property lines. The only time they would come in would be when their mother called them in for dinner, otherwise they would never leave the sky.

"You trying out, Lee?" asked Angelina. The boy scoffed at her, which told them all they needed to know.

"Ange," he grabbed her hand, "we all know, that this voice was meant to announce." He waved his hands at his throat, trying to prove his point.

"Well, I'm going to try out for chaser!" she beamed.

"George and I were born to be beaters," said Fred, as he pulled out an item from his bag, tucking it into his robes, making sure it was kept out of sight. "And what about you," he looked to Ana. "You like Quidditch?"

Ana nodded happily and explained how she had been flying as soon as she could walk and she had gone to a few Quidditch World Cups before. Everyone seemed impressed and even a bit jealous, their questions never ending. She enjoyed recounting going to the Pitch and told them about the best match she had seen, one that had lasted over three days because the Seekers couldn't find the snitch if their lives depended on it.

"You should try out next year for chaser and then we can be teammates!" Angelina nearly yelled with excitement.

"Or we'll be opponents," Ana joked.

"No! You'll be in Gryffindor. Just you wait and see!"

"You never know, Ange. She could be a Ravenclaw," piped Fred.

Ana laughed quietly at both of them, "I'll most likely be in Slytherin, to be honest."

A silence filled the compartment until Lee begin giggling at her. The others followed suit, which confused Ana. Never once had anyone bat an eye when she talked about being in Slytherin. Of course the only people she discussed it with was her family, but Slytherin was always praised in her house.

"I highly doubt that," George said, nibbling on a chocolate frog he had bought from the trolley. "Only bad wizards and witches get sorted into Slytherin!"

"Yeah, and no offence, but you don't really seem like the type," his brother chimed in. Not knowing how to respond to this, she just sat further into her seat, her eyes beginning to falter to staring out the window. Her hair suddenly became the most interesting thing in that moment and she began to play with the long strands between her fingers.

The feeling of someone touching her arm, pulled her out of her daze, flinching hard at whoever touched her. She looked up to see Fred surprised, he wasn't expecting her to recoil from him like that. He pulled back his arm, "We'll save a seat for you at our table, anyways. Okay?"

He looked so hopeful and for a moment, she hoped she was sorted into Gryffindor. Ana usually preferred to be alone instead of spending time with the company her parents brought around. However, she grew to enjoy the group she was with now. Sure, they were louder and a bit more outspoken, but it was far more interesting than any group she'd been around so far. But despite her wanting to be with the group longer, she knew that being in Gryffindor would be worse than being in Slytherin. With a sigh, she smiled at the red head in front of her, "Okay".

The remainder of the ride flew by quickly, the outline of Hogwarts growing clearer by the second. Ana was used to grand buildings, having grown up in a Manor, yet her eyes marveled at the castle. With her father and his looming presence, the Manor never felt homey; she always had to anticipate her words and her actions. However, the past few hours with the Gryffindors made her feel something other than anxiousness. For the first time in her life, she felt calm.

While Ana was lost in her trance, the red head couldn't help but smile at the girl in front of him. She walked in with a stern look on her face, which was surprising to him. No one at the Burrow ever looked so serious. But now her expression of fear was replaced with amazement and excitement, and he couldn't help but hope part of the reason was because of him.

The train began to slow down and the dipping feeling in Ana's stomach returned. Everyone got up and it seemed everyone else on the train did as well, yet she couldn't help but remain firmly planted in her seat. Breathing was far easier mere minutes ago, but now Ana felt as if she had to remind her body to function. Sensing her hesitation, Fred grabbed both his and her luggage, smiling at the girl. "C'mon blondie," he joked, "the train won't stay here all day."

She made an attempt to grab her luggage from him, and he only pulled it closer to himself, marching his way through the train like he was the conductor. A chuckle sounded from her before she had the chance to hide it. Fred turned around, a giant grin on his face as he waved her down, beckoning her to follow his lead. She trailed behind him with a hop, for once in her life understanding why people would skip when they got excited.

The group of five walked from the train, getting off at the Hogsmeade platform. Once again, she tried to grab her luggage and he all but ran further down the path. More than once the twins began tripping each other with the luggage, swinging them at each other's ankles. At one point Fred began twirling in circles, using both sets of luggage like a propeller and bouncing off other students. Angelina and Lee were talking about their summer, and Ana was just happy, finding peace at watching her new friends.

When they reached the end of the road, Ana stopped in her tracks, the sight ahead of her so enchanting. Standing with such pride were two creatures that she could only describe as hauntingly beautiful. They loomed over the carriage, their scaly bodies resembling that of a horse, with massive wings tucked into the sides of their bodies. She couldn't help but admire the two animals as she rounded the carriage to face the two of them. Nervously, she brought her hand up to the skeletal nose of one of them, and the creature reacted affectionately, leaning into her pet. Ana smiled happily at the gentleness of such a grim animal, cooing at them.

"Aye, Bibi!" yelled a twin. "What are you doing ya lunatic?"

She looked at him in confusion, it was obvious what she was doing, "I'm petting whatever animal this is!"

"You can see the thestrals?" A barking voice came from behind her, nearly scaring her to death. She turned around to see a man that tripled her height at least, his giant beard reaching his big belly. Astounded by his stature, she nodded without a word. The man looked at her with concern, making her more nervous by the second and confusing the absolute hell out of the twin that was watching the interaction. "Gentle creatures, thestrals are," said the man, as one of the thestrals dipped its head to her shoulder, begging for more pets. "M'names Hagrid," he smiled, his cheeks scrunching his eyes, "Ye should prob'ly get on da carriage, now".

Ana exchanged hellos as she climbed onto the carriage, her eyes never once leaving the beautiful creatures. The thestral she had yet to give attention to was on Fred's side and she blurted before even thinking, "Can I sit there?"

Fred looked down at his seat, confused yet charmed by her bouncing on the balls of her feet. "It's just-," she stammered, "I really want to pet the other thestral. That one didn't get attention." She pointed to nothing from what Fred could see. He let out a sharp chuckle as he stepped aside, relinquishing his seat to her.

"Whatever you say, blondie," he hummed, sitting beside her instead.

"Thank you, Fred!" Ana said, plopping down on the seat the boy had just given up.

Fred's eyes widened, a smile growing on his freckly face. Ana found his face wonderful to look at, especially with him smiling so much. The two of them gazed at each other until Fred asked curiously, "You can tell George and me apart? Already?"

Ana chuckled at his surprise and nodded happily, "It's not like it's hard."

And it wasn't hard. Sure they were twins, and they were dressed exactly the same, but there was something small about the way they acted. Their smiles were the biggest give away though. When they looked with a more straight face, they were the same. But once they smiled it was obvious as to who was who. George's nose hooked a bit more when he smiled, while Fred's nose wasn't as sharp. The difference was minor, but enough. It was more surprising to her that people would have a hard time telling which twin was which.

The carriage was rocky but that didn't stop her as she leaned half her body over the side in order to stroke at the back of the animal she desperately wanted to love on, a lazy smile never leaving her face. The group noticed how entranced she was a let her be; although a certain twin couldn't help but glance at her. His chest felt overwhelmingly warm and his face was painted with a permanent smile. He couldn't wait for the feast that night, hoping to spend more time with the girl.


	2. Ms. Malfoy

If Ana thought the castle was beautiful while she was on the train, seeing it up close was a whole new feeling of amazement. Never before had she experienced such a stunning sight and her face glowed. Hagrid accompanied the first years as they were situated into small boats, her path diverging from the Gryffindor quad. Of course, she was upset that she couldn't be sharing this moment with them, but she had yet to be sorted. Before her conversation on the train, she never once questioned whether or not she wanted to be in Slytherin. Her father always made it clear that Slytherin was the only acceptable house for a wizard, at least a wizard that respected themselves. But now, her impression of Gryffindor was not all that bad; at least not as bad as her father made it seem.

Despite being tired, not only from getting no sleep, but also from rowing across a giant lake, Ana couldn't help but buzz with energy. And the closer the boat got to the school grounds, the more intense it got. She could hear Hagrid shouting from a few boats behind, but her brain could not even begin to process what he had said.

It only took a few more rows until her little boat met the dock at the edge of the school. She and the two quiet boys that were rowing with her stumbled out of the rocky boat, not waiting for her to catch up with them. Once again, she was aware of how alone she was; the laughter she had grown to enjoy was gone as night had fallen over the castle. The cool air began to pierce her skin, making her wrap her arms around herself, hoping to get inside soon. She kept her head down, focusing on her footing, and followed the direction of her fellow first years.

Once they entered the school, she was met with a grand staircase which seemed to never end. She stomped up the stone steps and was halted in front of a large door; behind it was filled with loud chatter and yells of excitement. At the top of the stairs was a witch, her slender frame covered in ornate emerald robes and a giant hat was perched on her head.

"Greetings, first years," the witch greeted, her Scottish accent strong. "I am Professor McGonagall, your new Transfiguration teacher and the Head of Gryffindor House. Beyond these doors is where your time at Hogwarts begins. But before that happens you will be placed into your house."

Not a peep could be heard from the first years, everyone hanging on to whatever the witch said. "Your house will be like your family; do well in your work and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so, and it will cost your house dearly. Now I want everyone to follow me," she said, turning quick on her heel. She stopped at the giant doors until they swung open before her, revealing the rest of the students and the professors. Ana looked around her, trying to find the only other faces she was familiar with, finding them to the right. She smiled at the group, all of them grinning up at her with hopeful eyes. Angelina made it a point to smack the space next to her on the wooden bench, them anticipating a spot for her.

Professor McGonagall began, "Bell, Katie!"

A girl came out of the crowd of students, her brown hair pulled high into a ponytail that seemed to be tugging at her forehead. She wobbled up the steps with shaky knees as she sat on the stool. Professor McGonagall than placed a dingy hat on top of her head. A voice blaring from the wrinkles of fabric.

"Ah ha! I see a lot of goodness in you, quite a lot of spunk!" the hat bellowed, everyone in the hall now silent. "I have a pretty good idea where you belong. GRYFFINDOR!"

The long table beside her cheered, the spot that was once available for Ana, now replaced with another student. One by one, each student would sit and get placed. And every time the alphabet got closer to her name, Ana's heart fluttered in her chest. She could hardly pay attention, but she caught a few sortings.

"Bole, Alexandra!" Slytherin gained its first student and the list continued.

"Carmichael, Eddie!" Was sorted into Ravenclaw.

"Chang, Cho!" Ravenclaw, too. A few more students passed.

"Kane, Calista!" Slytherin again.

The anticipation was enough to make any person faint. The unknown wasn't something Ana enjoyed. She forced herself to take deep breaths, focusing not on what was in front of her, but only the rise and fall of her lungs.

"Malfoy, Bibiana!" Professor McGonagall called. Hushed whispers began to fill the room, many students sitting up higher to take a look at the girl, who wanted nothing more than to be swallowed into the floor beneath her. Slowly, her feet moved on their own accord, knowing that standing there motionlessly would only make her look even stranger. Staring at her with shocked expressions were the twins, Lee, and Angelina. But they weren't the only ones staring in anticipation; the rest of the student body were equally as invested. Bibiana closed her eyes, waiting for the moment to end.

"A Malfoy, eh?" the hat commented. "This is an interesting case, you see. Every Malfoy before you all went to the same house. You've got wit and you've got charm, but that all depends on what you use it for." The longer the hat deliberated the harder it was for her to breath. "Nonetheless, it seems quite clear where you will succeed."

"SLYTHERIN!"

Ana opened her eyes once the decision was made. Slytherin always seemed like a good fit for her, and from hearing what the house valued, she felt comfortable with it. The uneasy feeling in her stomach must be from not having eaten enough that day.

The hat was removed from her head, and Ana was unable to stop herself from looking at the Gryffindor table. As expected the expressions on the twins', Lee's and Angelina's faces were what she was afraid they'd be. They all glared at her with strained brows and tight lips as she made her way to the Slytherin table. There she was greeted with cheers, the older Slytherins watching her and clapping until she sat down at the opposite end of the long table. Although a smaller reaction would have been better for her nerves, seeing a few smiles at her expense was nice to see. Soon, all the first years were sorted into their houses and a wizard in deep plum robes approached the lectern at the head of the hall.

"Wonderful, everyone! Quite wonderful," the man mused. "It seems that everything is in order! And while we are here, it is my duty to remind all students of the school's restrictions. No one is allowed into the third floor corridor or the Dark Forest, unless an early death is what you wish."

Ana found that to be a bit dramatic, but it did get the point across. The man quickly wrapped up his speech and with a clap of his hands mounds of food appeared in front of them. Every inch of the table was filled with fruits and breads and meats, whatever a person could want. Ana found herself gravitating towards the fruits, strawberries being her absolute favorite. She also helped herself to a serving of potatoes that would be even too much for that tall man, Hagrid, to handle. Yet she felt up to the challenge after rowing across a whole lake.

"You gonna share the potatoes there, Malfoy?" the boy next to her asked with a smirk. She handed him the bowl and he took them quickly. "I'm Aeron Wright by the way," he proudly announced.

The boy scooped spoonful after spoonful of the potatoes, clearly not caring that he was emptying the bowl. Although you would never tell he could eat so much, his thin frame huddled over the plate which he kept piling high with food.

"Save the table some food will you?"

"What? Alexandra was it?" He snapped back, "I'm hungry so I'm going to take what I need."

"Yeah, because you definitely look like you need to eat as much as a mountain troll," mocked the girl. She played with the spaghetti and meatballs on her plate, trying desperately to get it to stay on her fork. "Don't worry about him," she assured, "he's just very passionate about his food, it seems."

The boy feigned hurt as he dug into his food, picking up a dinner roll and chucking it at Alexandra's head. She swatted the food away, it landing a few feet down in front of the more stern looking Slytherins, all of them staring back at Ana. That surely did not help the pit in her stomach at all.

"This is my brother by the way," the girl said, a smile gracing her olive toned skin. She pulled on the sleeve of the boy next to her, nearly knocking him over with her strength. He grabbed at his collar, trying to release himself from her grip as he turned towards them.

"Loosen up, Alex," he chuckled at his sister.

His eyes were such a light blue that they almost looked clear if you weren't looking hard enough. The contrast was stark between them and his skin. He was, in no other way of stating it, wonderful to look at. "Hey! I'm Lucian," he offered a gentle smile, nibbling on a piece of broccoli.

"I'm Bibiana Malfoy, but I prefer Ana," she replied. "That's what everyone calls me anyways."

"You have a good time on the train then, Ana?"

She smiled at his interest, picking up more strawberries. "I did. I was seated with a few second year Gryffindors, the red headed twins."

Lucian's expression immediately shifted from curious to irked, "You mean those two gits who are staring at you?" He motioned to the Gryffindor table with his fork. Ana turned around to see the two of them dart their heads down, nudging each other's arms and whispering. Ana would be lying if she pretended like their reactions didn't hurt, but the nagging feeling in her chest told her that whatever they had on the train was over.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be seeking them out anytime soon," the older boy continued, noticing her sudden somber look. "Last year they let off multiple dungbombs into the Slytherin Quidditch dressing rooms. They even convinced Peeves, the poltergeist, to terrorize Professor Snape any chance he could get. The two really have it out for the Slytherins."

Ana had a feeling that the Gryffindors didn't take kindly to Slytherins when they were on the train, but she never figured that the people who were so nice to her could also be so mean. Sure they were young boys and they had some energy, but hearing them acting out against Slytherins was new information to her. Still, she hoped for different.

"But, they were nice to me on the train. You think they would just turn like that?"

"I hope for your sake they don't," he sighed, giving her a half smile.

Ana once again peered over at the Gryffindor table, meeting the eyes of no one.

"Well, who needs the stinky twins?" Alex stabbed her meatball. "Who cares if they don't like you anymore? You don't need them anyways."

"Or, you could try talking to them like nothing bad happened. Just because you're in another house that doesn't mean they're necessarily going to ignore you," a voice chimed in. The airy sound came from a girl whose hip-length black hair hung from the sides of her head in two long braids. "Sure, they may be a bit confused right now, but who's to say they're going to treat you any different?"

"Oh first year, there is a lot for you to learn," Lucian leaned in closely. "For starters, Slytherins and Gryffindors have a sort of rivalry. It's been going on for years. It'd just be smart to move on." He directed the end of his statement back at Ana, giving her a pointed look.

"Especially with you being a Malfoy and all," Alex added on, her brother enthusiastically waving his fork in agreement.

"Oh fantastic," Ana snickered, "my very first friends are now my enemies."

"Well maybe not," squeaked the dark haired girl again.

"Who are you again?" Aeron took a moment to tear away from his food to ask.

"Calista Kane."

Aeron took a deep swallow, pushing down whatever he had stuffed in his cheeks, taking a few deep breaths. "Look, Calista. That's just how things work. My uncle even had issues with Gryffindors when he went to school here and that was years ago. I wouldn't expect this feud to end simply because little Miss Malfoy over here," he gestured to Ana, "is upset she got ditched by some dumb twins."

"Well aren't you a joy," Calista laughed, returning her attention back to Ana, who seemed to lose interest in her dinner. "Everything will be fine. Whether you talk to them again or not. So what's the worst that could happen? You just don't talk to them. That's not such a loss."

Ana found herself comforted by Calista's words. The girl's hair might be halfway in her bowl of soup, but that didn't stop her from focusing on helping Ana feel better. Calista looked at her with warm eyes and a soft smile. Somehow, Ana felt like she had to agree with her.

"No, I guess you're right," Ana reasoned. "Besides I wanted to be in Slytherin anyways. I can't imagine what my father would say had I been sorted into another house."

Alex nodded, plopping a meatball into her mouth, "That's the kind of attitude you need. Forget them. You've got us now."

Ana smiled at the girl, swallowing her hurt and finding comfort in the people surrounding her now. She once again started eating her food, finding no point in pouting over the loss of people she only knew for a few hours. The Slytherins would be with her for the next seven years, it made sense to start caring about them instead of worrying over the Gryffindors.

Finding herself feeling better, Ana and Lucian began talking about the ins and outs of Hogwarts, learning about the various professors and the squib, Filch, who had a seemingly very unusual relationship with his cat. She made a note to try and interact with him as little as possible. She found Alex to be the louder Bole sibling, bouncing in her seat and blurting out whenever something excited her or if she felt like poking fun at someone. Her energy was definitely needed given how exhausted Ana started to feel. Calista was quieter, providing very animated faces to what was going on, but not speaking for the most part. Once again, Aeron was lost in his food but would sometimes talk to Elliot Wolter and Malachy Allard, two other boys who were sorted into Slytherin.

As dinner rolled on, Ana's smile returned, finding her House to offer her the same feelings the Gryffindors stirred within her. She felt airy and full of warmth, especially now that she was having her fill of pumpkin pasties and apple cider. All the nervousness and judgement that coursed through her brain earlier were gone.

Slowly students began to leave the hall and a Slytherin a few years older than them directed the first years to the grand staircase. After taking a turn to the right and leading them down a flight of stairs into the dungeons, she came to a barren wall that stretched for a good twenty feet. The older girl whispered, "Wolfsbane" and a large iron door revealed itself to the students.

When they passed through, they descended into a dark room that was sunken into the floor. The walls weren't exactly walls, but glass that looked out into what Ana assumed was the lake they had just been over a few hours ago. If she looked close enough she could see various creatures swimming from window to window. The whole area was tinted green from the murky lake. The room was huge and had silver and green accents everywhere, whether it was the leather sofas or the curtains that hung to the ground. A blazing fire roared in the large stone fireplace that was situated at the center of the space in front of loveseats and armchairs and throw pillows, making the area surprisingly cozy considering they were literally underwater.

"This is the- " the poor student couldn't even finish her tour as Alex ran past her and threw her body at one of the sofas, "This is the common room."

The rest of the first years paid attention to the girl who explained that this was where they were going to live for the next seven years. Passwords would alternate so that it was better protected but the updated password would be posted by Merlin. And by a portrait of Merlin was a board of announcements that they would have to keep up with. The girl showed Ana and Calista to their dormitory, while Alex decided to stay behind to talk to her brother in the common room.

The dorms were simple; all the furniture lined up along a wall with storage and a chest at the foot of each four poster bed. The green canopies matched the glow of green that emanated from the two giant panes of glass that looked out to the black lake. Between the panes was a stone insert where a fireplace was already warming up the room. A gorgeous mantel piece, a two foot long serpent with red eyes, was perched on top of the stone ledge.

After telling the girls about how their following day would play out, the older girl left her and Calista to get some sleep. The two scrambled to their beds, Ana's items were placed at the bed furthest from the door, so she slumped down on the mattress, relieved at how it seemed to ease her tired body. Calista's bed was next to hers, leaving Alex's bed the one closest to the door.

Ana stayed staring at the ceiling, reliving the events of the day. King's Cross seemed like forever ago and she could only imagine how much Draco missed her. She couldn't help but think about him roaming through the manor all alone. Maybe he would get desperate and hang around Dobby, their house elf. Ana quite liked the little guy. Of course he was always nervous around Lucius, but even she was nervous around her own father. Still, the elf was great company for her when Draco wasn't around.

"Do you think we should find Alex?" Calista asked quietly, pulling out a few items from her trunk and placing them on her nightstand.

Ana took a moment to answer. "No," she said, "I have a feeling Lucian will tell her where her dorm is."

"It must be nice having a sibling already at Hogwarts. It'd make the transition easier, I think," she pulled out a rabbit plushie from her bag, making Ana smile as she grabbed for it. She played with the flopping ears, bouncing the animal on her lap. "I had a rabbit when I was five. Her name was Minnie."

"What happened to Minnie?"

Calista continued to pull little trinkets out of her bag, unravelling a large shiny sheet of parchment. The girl was having trouble holding the parchment up against the wall, so Ana jumped up to hold the sides up for her. "Thanks," Calista smiled, "and uh, Minnie was attacked by a wolf and didn't make it past the night. I was devastated. But in the morning, I woke up to that plushie on my bed."

"I'm sorry about your rabbit," Ana sighed as the girl pulled out her wand. She pointed it to the parchment and chanted. "Viscosi!" The parchment stayed up on the wall needing no one to hold it up any longer. Ana took a step away from the parchment to see that it was a picture of five people, and in small text read "The Breakfast Club".

"It's a movie!" Calista's eyes twinkled with excitement. The girl was far more talkative than when she was at dinner, and Ana was in no state to kill the mood. Humoring the girl, Ana asked her to tell her all about what a movie was, and then what happened in it.

Any plans they had to go to bed early were squashed once Calista started talking about the ins and outs of the movie. The characters all seemed very different from each other and Ana couldn't help but wonder which of the group she would be: the jock, the princess, the nerd, the criminal, or the outcast. None of them sounded like her and yet she figured she could become any of them at the end of the day.

"I also just think that Molly Ringwald is really pretty," Calista pointed at the red headed girl in all pink, a red blush settled on her golden brown cheeks.

"Molly is pretty but have you see Bender and Allison? Now, they're pretty."

Alex had finally joined the girls after returning from the common room. She jumped on Calista's bed, sitting beside the girl who had just been gushing over her favorite movie star.

"I mean, maybe in a dark, sinister way, sure," Calista replied crossing her arms over her chest. Alex made a face at the Calista, giggling at how serious she had just become.

"I'm only joking, Kane. Molly is super cute."

The three of them settled into an easy conversation; Ana and Alex talked about the Weird Sisters which was both their favorite band while Calista talked about her favorite films, most of which the other two hadn't seen. They talked so long, that the room that was once a dark forest green was turning brighter by the second. Once they realized how long they stayed up, the three forced themselves to bed, hoping to get enough sleep to get them through the next day.

But before Ana fell asleep, she couldn't help but find the warm glow of the fireplace bittersweet. The fiery red of it pricked her skin and made her warm, but red wasn't turning out to be a welcoming color anymore.


	3. Welcome to Hogwarts

Thankfully the twins were the very last thing on her mind as she woke up early in the morning, she and her new dorm mates spent most of the night getting to know each other. The morning was busy, they all scurried to get dressed in their new green robes as Ana brushed through her long silver hair. It wasn't how she imagined her first day would go, but having the two girls laughing the moment they woke up made her excited for her day to start. Ana's medicine was left on her nightstand, a note attached to the vial.

As per your mother's request. –S.S.

Ana downed the small vial as the girls rushed her out of the room, skipping breakfast and running to the Herbology greenhouses. The large glass structure of the greenhouse reminded her of the one her mother kept up at the Manor. Since she was little, Ana would sit outside and play in the dirt and mud while her mother tended to the plants. Most of them were used for Ana's medicine, so Ana liked to sit outside and listen to her mother hum as she would snip at their leaves or mend broken limbs. Draco typically stayed inside; he didn't like getting dirty all that much. He was like their father in that way.

The professor was a short, plump woman with the rosiest cheeks that just peaked from underneath her large hat. The material the woman would talk about reminded her of her mother and Ana's nerves from running through the castle grounds to get to class disappeared the longer the class went on. Calista and Alex were sitting together, mumbling to themselves, while Ana sat next to a Ravenclaw boy. He didn't make any effort to speak to Ana, preferring to keep his head locked towards the teacher.

"Can anyone tell me the purpose of the Dittany plant?" Professor Sprout asked.

Ana looked at her classmates, all of them seemingly clueless and diverting their attention from the teacher hoping they wouldn't be called. She didn't want to answer, but when the Professor's smile began to dwindle Ana shot her hand up in the air.

"Ms. Malfoy, yes."

Ana gulped suddenly feeling many eyes on her, the Ravenclaw next to her began to pay attention to her for the first time. "The Dittany plant is a restorative herb. If someone were to get hit and had a cut, eating the plant would help heal it faster."

The woman's smile returned, "Very good, Ms. Malfoy. Ten points to Slytherin!" With a renewed skip in her step Professor Sprout went on to talk about the properties of the Dittany plant.

The Ravenclaws around her didn't react all too pleased with the fact that Slytherin gained a few points, but her fellow Slytherins looked at her happily, and Ana felt better for saying something. Most of the class continued similarly; Ana would answer whatever question Professor Sprout had. She allowed the other students a chance to respond, but no one ever raised their hand. The other students might as well not been there, the whole class felt like a one-on-one session. Ana didn't mind and from the smile on her teacher's face, it seemed that she didn't mind either.

After the hour had passed, everyone got ready to head to their next class, but the sound of the professor calling for her stopped her in her tracks. Calista and Alex stayed back for a moment until Ana ushered them to go on without her.

"Yes, Professor?"

"You know quite a bit about herbology from the looks of it," the woman gazed down at the girl. "Where did you learn so much?"

Ana smiled, rocking back and forth on her heels, "My mother has a greenhouse in our garden and she talks to me about what she's doing. I guess I remembered some of the things she has told me," she tapped her head.

"Well, I just wanted to say that I look forward to having you in my class again." Professor Sprout nodded her head, silently thanking the girl for saving the class. Lessons always often got uncomfortable for the professor; not a lot of students valued Herbology. Ana took her teacher's silence as a signal to leave. She began to turn away until the professor stopped her, "Although! I must ask-"

"Ask what professor?" Ana replied softly.

Quickly the happiness drained from Professor Sprout's face, a more concerned look taking its place. The expression didn't look right on her and Ana wondered what brought that sudden change.

"I must ask, do you often use the Dittany plant at home?" she questioned.

Ana nodded, "I do. I'm kind of clumsy so I'm always hurt somewhere."

"And that's all? Just clumsy?" Professor Sprout inquired.

The question made Ana's heart skip a beat, uneasiness ran through her. She understood what the professor was trying to insinuate and Ana would be lying if she said that her clumsiness was the only cause of her bumps and bruises. But admitting the truth was more than Ana wanted to do on her first day of class. So without second guessing, Ana nodded in agreement.

Professor Sprout's expression remained tight. She wasn't convinced. "Alright, Ms. Malfoy. I wouldn't want you missing your next class on my account, so you go straight there."

Ana gave a soft smile and turned quickly, not allowing the professor another chance to ask any more questions as she began running in the direction of the castle. Surely she would be late considering she still had to figure out where to go, but after a few wrong turns Ana arrived at the charms classroom. She situated herself in the back and the short professor didn't seem to notice her arrival. Not wanting to alert him that she came into the room, Ana decided that staying quiet would be the best thing for her to do.

Her mind kept going back over what Professor Sprout had said to her and Ana couldn't help but think she said too much, even though she barely said anything at all. Just the look in the woman's eyes was enough to make her feel like she did something wrong. It made her stomach sick and Ana prayed the feeling would go away as soon as she ate at lunch. Unfortunately, charms class dragged for what seemed like hours and their double transfiguration class did nothing to help that feeling.

After the tortuous two hours of changing a hedgehog into a hairbrush, it was time for lunch. She walked side by side with Calista and Alex on their way to the Great Hall. They had asked her why she was held back but Ana shut that down quickly, saying it was nothing important and what was important was food. Alex started sprinting down the halls, rounding each corner in wide strides until she was out of sight, effectively leaving the two girls in the dust.

Lunch didn't soothe all her nerves, but dear lord, running around a castle on an empty stomach was not a good idea. Once again, Ana grabbed her favorite strawberries and helped herself to two sandwiches, hoping to fill up the sinking feeling in her stomach. But nothing looked as good as the cake that was sitting at the center of the table. Calista looked at it disgustingly, claiming it had too much frosting for her liking.

"More for us!" Alex said as she and Ana leaned over to cut into it.

A deafening blast sounded from the cake, catapulting the entirety of the dessert into bits. It covered the two girls in the sticky chocolate. Calista shrieked as she shielded herself, narrowly escaping the shrapnel of cake. Alex immediately darted up, wiping the cake from her eyes as she glared across the hall. All of the students brought their attention to her, she was seething and covered in frosting. The hall was almost silent, except from the snickering that came from the Gryffindor table. Ana stood to see where the sound was coming from, despite already having a good idea as to who were the culprits.

The Weasley twins stood up from their table, high fiving Lee as they fled from the room, trying to escape the wrath of Professor McGonagall who was hot on their tails. Lee was clutching his sides in a fit of laughter, watching as Ana and Alex looked blindsided. Alex didn't care once she saw that Lee was laughing at her, she lunged from her spot and sprinted to the other table, chasing Lee out of the hall.

Ana couldn't find it within her to react. She knew of the Gryffindor and Slytherin rivalry but she couldn't help that sliver of hope that she had. The one that convinced her that she and the twins would be okay. Sure, they wouldn't be friends, but she didn't think she'd be on the receiving end of one of their pranks. They were nice before she was sorted into Slytherin. They were nice before they knew her last name.

Calista started picking off the chunks of cake from Ana's hair, breaking her from her trance.

"Ana, are you okay?"

Ana couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's question since the answer was fairly obvious.

"Yeah," Ana choked, feeling her throat tighten. It was an obvious lie and she knew that Calista could see through it. But admitting out loud that she was not fine felt like giving up. She twitched her nose trying to deter the tears she felt wanting to spill over. Calista looked at the girl with sadness, understanding just how upset she was. That moment ruined by a snort coming further down their table.

Aeron was eating a sausage that he had stabbed onto his fork instead of opting for cutting it like a normal person would. "I told you last night, Malfoy. The twins wouldn't be all sweet and dandy with you just 'cause you talked to them once."

"Oh shut up, Aeron, and eat your sausage," Calista snipped back at him. He rolled his eyes and continued eating while flipping through the Daily Prophet.

"Don't get mad at me because I'm telling her what you refuse to say, Kane," he said without giving them a second glance. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Yes, welcome to Hogwarts," a lulled voice pulled the three out of their conversation. Professor Snape had waltzed his way undetected by the group and hovered behind them. He sustained a harsh glare at Aeron that made even Ana unnerved. "It seems that you have regretfully experienced the annoyance that are the Weasleys," he hissed. Aeron chuckled at the comment, making Snape sigh in aggravation. "Mr. Wright it would do you well to not stick your gargantuan nose in the business of others unless you wish to lose house points." 

Aeron's eyes bulged, and he dipped his head down low. Ana smirked at the boy's reaction, mentally thanking the ridiculously mystifying man for making Aeron squirm.

"But I would say that it would be beneficial for you to leave the lions alone," he emphasized every word to an unnecessary degree, but Ana couldn't deny he was probably right. Not only did the twins look at her differently after finding out who she was, but they also had the gall to prank her on her very first day as a new student.

"I think I might have to, Professor," Ana confessed.

He looked down at the two girls, both of them still covered in remnants of chocolate cake. "We cannot have you two leaving crumbs behind you. Hold-," he paused for dramatic effect, "-still. Scourgify!" He pointed his wand in their direction, making any and all cake disappear from them. Surprisingly, her robes smelt like soft floral soap, quite a delicate scent to come from a man who hardly looked like he used soap. "Do not be late for class," he warned.

They muttered a thank you but Snape had walked away immediately after casting the charm. Lunch had been thoroughly ruined and Ana's initial feeling of embarrassment slowly switched to irritation. Friendship was no longer in the cards for them if they had no problem humiliating her in front of the whole school. And to laugh in her face as they ran out of the Great Hall was a punch to the gut. Ana wasn't used to feeling so disrespected and she vowed to never let the twins make her feel that way ever again.


	4. Snakes in the Sun

"You should go meet your friends, Ana," Professor Sprout smirked at the girl who was taking samples of a shrivelfig. The woman was incredibly busy, so she offered Ana a chance to work with her in the greenhouses. Ana was allowed to come and go as much as she liked, so she spent much of her time there; she enjoyed her professor's quiet company.

Sprout turned towards her, handing her a vial, anticipating that Ana would need it. The girl took the glass from her and smiled widely. It was nice to have someone that reminded her a bit of home; sure, Sprout was a bit warmer than her mother was, but the act of taking care of plants brought her back to the Manor.

"I want to help, professor," And replied, moving around the table to tend to the other side of the plant. Sprout's lips pulled into a tight line, her brows arching. Ana chuckled at her teacher's expression, knowing that Sprout wasn't actually upset with her.

Sprout held out her hand, beckoning for the girl to hand over the shears. "It is a gorgeous day outside and I would be remise if you were to stay in this stuffy greenhouse all day."

"But professor-"

"No buts!" The woman commanded through a cracked smile. "Go. See your friends. It's an order."

Ana watched as the woman's pseudo serious expression shifted to pleading eyes. She could see Alex, Lucian, and Calista lounging not too far from the greenhouses, suddenly wishing to sit in the sun with them. Ana handed over the garden tools, earning her a smile from her professor.

"Good," Sprout hummed. "Be off."

Ana skipped out of the greenhouse, plopping her sticky body next to her friends who talking about the upcoming Quidditch match that was taking place between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Lucian was buzzing about having to train every hour he wasn't in class, but if the team wanted to win the Quidditch Cup this year the sacrifice was necessary. Ana joined in the discussion, talking about how they thought the game was going to turn out; Calista had a feeling Gryffindor was going to win which Alex avidly challenged.

Being in the dungeons for so long was a lot of the same recycled air to breathe in over and over again. She had been spending more and more time in the greenhouses. Ana needed open skies and the smell of flowers to fill her lungs instead. The sun was strong and the heat felt good on her skin, mentally thanking herself for listening to Professor Sprout. She was probably the best herbology student among the first years, but a part of her couldn't help but feel like her professor pitied her a bit. Sprout never pushed her to talk about her home life which Ana appreciated, but she could only assume that her professor knew what was going on.

A month had passed since the day the twins had exploded a cake in her face and whenever she caught a glimpse of them, her body burned with a simmering distaste for them. Their barking laughs which once sounded so charming now sounded loud and obnoxious. Surely whatever they said or did could not be that funny.

Everything about this moment in the sun was perfect, except for the fact that the Weasley twins were throwing rocks into the small pond that was near the group. But Ana willed herself to ignore them no matter how bad she wanted to stare them down until they ran away. They would usually return her glares with snickers of laughter, and she wished she could hear what they were saying. Not because she cared what they thought, but so she could figure out how to annoy them as much as they did her. She wanted to show them as much curtesy as they did her, which was usually none.

Thankfully, Ana was distracted by the presence of a little snake that was wiggling in the shallow rocks at the pond. Its orange body and black tongue would poke out at the surface of the water and then dip back underneath. Snakes were always around her mother's greenhouses, the little guys would hiss and roll in the mud. Often times she would have little conversations with them. It could be a delusion, but she even imagined they could understand her and listen to her. It was either fantasy or madness.

"Ana, we're going to go down to the pitch to watch Lucian practice. Do you wanna join?" Alex asked.

Lucian turned to her with a large grin, his olive skin glimmering in the sun like tiny little crystals. "Yeah, Ana," he echoed, "You should come watch me. I am Slytherin's best beater."

"Slytherin's best beater! Slytherin's best bater!" A voice sang in a heightened pitch, "You hear that Georgie?" Fred had sauntered up to the group, tossing a stone between his hands. "Lucian wants little miss blondie to watch him play."

Ana let out a sigh, her heart beating faster at the thought of talking to the twins again. After seeing what they could do, she wanted nothing more than to ignore them for the rest of forever.

"Reckon he needs all the help he can get. Now that we're on the Gryffindor team, yeah?" George joined in on Fred's shtick. Both of them laughing and nudging the other. The two stood in front of the group, blocking out the sun and leaving Ana cold. Not only were they annoying, but they were making her chilly.

"You're just upset that Slytherin is going to win," Alex sniped back. Despite saying nothing, the twins kept staring at Ana, making her arch an eyebrow at them. The two boys looked at her with pinched eyes, seeing her silence as an invitation for challenge.

"Slytherin couldn't win even if they had double the amount of players," Fred continued to toss the rock back and forth. The pleased look on his face made him look so incredibly punchable. Ana would never hit a person, but she could only imagine how satisfying it would be to hear her knuckles crunch against his smug little smirk. His brother remained behind him, not engaging as intensely as Fred was.

"Why don't you two go on and bother someone else," Lucian chimed in, now standing up to meet the younger boys at the same height. "Some of us actually have important things to get to."

Fred looked away from Ana to pay attention to the older boy. George came from behind his brother wrapping his arms around Fred's shoulders. The image of them gave her a pang of anger in her chest. Or at least she figured it was anger. That's what she usually felt whenever she thought of them. Ana played with her hair, tangling the strands and unraveling it again, not wanting to look into the twins' warm brown eyes, mentally chastising herself for thinking they looked lovely in the bright sun.

"What important things does Malfoy have to do? Play in the dirt with Sprout some more?" Fred chuckled, his eyes crinkled in pure joy from his little joke. His smile was pretty, but Ana hated that it was caused at her expense. Things would be so much easier if they just weren't friends from the start. At least then she could be comfortable with hating them.

Ana didn't feel like sitting there anymore, so she got up and made her way to the pond. There she found the snake that had caught her attention from before. She bowed down and grabbed the animal, it began to wiggle into her palm. With her heart in her chest she began walking back to the group.

"Not in the dirt, Fred. In the mud," George joked as Ana stopped halfway towards them.

Ana ignored them and simply turned her attention to the snake which had begun weaving itself around her forearm, hissing happily and taking little licks at her skin. She held the snake up, so its head dangled close to her own. In an even tone, Ana whispered, "Give the lookalikes a good scare," and she dipped her hand to the ground.

The snake made its way to the group, getting lost in the tall grass until it reached the twins. Everyone's eyes were trapped on the snake as it grew closer to the group. Alex jumped in a panic when it slithered past her feet and towards the twins.

George jumped frantically, yelling as the snake travelled up his pant leg and violently slithered around his leg. He furiously tried swatting at it but the snake kept giving him little nips, making George yell even more. "What the hell!" He screamed as the snake frantically swirled around the boy's calf, making him fall over onto the ground. "Get out!"

Ana's eyes grew wide. She told the snake to give them a scare, not hurt them. This had never happened before when she pulled something like this on Draco. Usually, the snake would startle her little brother but never attack him like this one was. This snake was a bigger than the ones back at home. Ana's little idea of a prank wasn't turning out to be as harmless as she thought it would be. But the damage was done with George.

The only time he stopped screaming was when the snake departed his trousers and pierced its sharp fangs into Fred's heel. He hissed in pain and stomped around, trying to shake the snake away from him.

All the while Lucian, Alex, and Calista are laughing hysterically at them; Ana could only stare at them in disbelief. This display of pure terror was pretty funny for the three of them to see. The twins, although they were rambunctious and pranksters were never one to make a full on scene of themselves. They also didn't actually hurt anyone with their pranks; they were annoying and humiliating, but they were typically always harmless.

After the snake was done with Fred's ankles, Ana commanded the snake to come back to her in a panicked voice. And upon the request, the snake left the boys alone and Ana scooped the animal up again. She placed it around her neck, keeping it there so it wouldn't attack again.

This should've felt like a victory, but something was off. She came face to face with the twins, allowing the snake to rest on her. The two of them looked disheveled; their clothes were crumpled from them trying to get the snake out of their trousers. Their hair was dirty and a layer of sweat covered their beet red cheeks, both of their chests heaving. She looked up at them, her body completely devoured by their shadows. The sun was blocked again.

"What's so wrong with playing in the dirt?" she questioned.

George looked surprised by everything that had just happened. But Fred's eyes said something entirely different. Instead of looking intense like they usually were when they were having a staring competition across the Great Hall, there seemed to be something else lingering this time. She couldn't look away from them if she tried. It had been over a month since she'd been so close to the twins and the smaller features of their face had faded from her memory.

Having had enough of this, George tugged on his brother's sleeve trying to get the other boy to follow him. "My leg really hurts. Come on, I wanna go to have Madam Pomfrey check it out," George whined.

Fred kept his stance strong, not daring to turn around until everything was said and done. He did not want to back down and Ana wondered if he was always so stubborn. George looked more worried than anything but Fred looked like there was a fire burning behind his eyes. That was something to remember; Fred was fiercer while George was willing to concede.

"You know what, Malfoy? Keep playing in the dirt. That's where snakes belong anyways."

Fred's voice held much more venom in it that every snake in the world would've been jealous. She understood he was hurt, but she was too. And him calling her that was the last straw.

"You should listen to your brother, George," Ana said while looking directly at Fred. "You wouldn't want Fred to be hurting any longer than he has to. Would you?" Her look was one of pure indifference and yet she knew just her words alone would make him crack.

Fred's empty look disappeared as soon as the words left her mouth. He wasn't looking at her with anger, annoyance, or even happiness. She had seen how he looked whenever he felt those things. This was different. The boy looked defeated. She liked how he looked better when he was angry.

"You called me George," he realized.

His stare was almost too much for her. He looked more pained now than when the snake bit him repeatedly. The usual jovial and mischievous side of him was long gone and something else was left. His shoulders slumped, making the relatively tall boy look small for possibly the first time since Ana ever laid eyes on him. At this point, she wished he'd start yelling at her or say some snarky comment.

She didn't know how to react to a sad Weasley twin. Their pranks were annoying, but this also didn't feel like winning. If this was winning, she didn't want a repeat of it.

Ana had a feeling it would hurt him to confuse him with his brother. She remembered back on the carriage how happy he was when she could tell them apart. It apparently was a big deal to Fred. Given the look on his face, her assumption was correct. A tiny part of her brain was chastising herself for making him so upset.

Everyone was silent, just watching as the two refused to look away from the other. Ana's eyes began to falter, unable to hold the moment any longer. It was like looking at the sun, and it began to burn the more she stared at the boy. She ducked her head down, unwrapping the serpent from her neck and releasing it away from the twins. When she looked back up, Fred was staring at his shoes, biting his cheek and looking at anything but her.

Lucian jumped in, pulling Alex along with him. Alex began to pull Ana at the elbow, trying to break up whatever was happening between her and the boys.

"Look, mate, just leave. Both of you," he offered, standing between them and Ana. "You boys should probably get those bites looked at, who's to say that snake wasn't venomous."

Lucian's tone had a finality to it, not leaving anything up for debate. But no one was in the mood for fighting anymore. Any jabs or snide remarks were long gone and all that was left was emptiness. At this point, George began to hobble towards the castle, hoping his brother would follow. Fred joined him reluctantly, but not without giving Ana one last look. And Godric, did she wish she never caught it.

Fred's eyes were no longer a glowing honey color like they usually were. They were glossy and darkened, the warmth totally gone. Ana's stomach twisted and she knew that what she did was devastating to him. He gave her nothing but a knowing smirk, nodding in acceptance of the situation. George called for his brother one last time and the two of them limped up the stairs of the castle, rounding the stone walls and out of sight.

Ana was supposed to feel happy and proud of what just happened. This was her victory. This was her showing the twins that she wasn't one to be messed with. She stood up for herself. And yet she couldn't help but feel guilty for hurting them. They had hurt her first, and even acknowledging that did nothing to aid the bitter taste that was left on her tongue. Fred's reaction was burned on the back of her eyelids, the image not leaving her alone.

"Well that was fascinating," Alex jested while Calista rubbed Ana's arm. Ana hating how often she had been consoled by other people just in this month alone. It wasn't something she was used to, and also not something she knew how to handle. Usually if she were just upset, she'd go to bed and hope the feelings would disappear by the morning. But she surely couldn't just take a nap on the grass in front of her friends and pray this memory would leave her.

Calista and Alex glanced pointedly at Lucian, silently asking for him to step up to the plate.

"Come on, you guys," Lucian chuckled nervously, "I've still got Quidditch practice to get to and I can't be late."

The three girls followed his lead, taking them down the trail to the pitch. Ana focused on her feet, noticing how short her strides were and wondering when they'd get longer; she was looking for anything to focus on besides her guilt. Lucian knocked his shoulder against Ana's, startling her and making her distance herself from the third year.

"Sorry!" he chuckled. "How about after practice you can get a chance at flying? I'm sure you miss it?"

Ana knew that he was trying to make her feel better, and the thought of weaving through the air on a broom did excite her. Lucian looked at her with a hopeful expression, a soft smile on his face. Ana tried to fight the feeling, but she let out a soft laugh, taking up his offer happily.

"Good," he beamed.

"Race ya to the pitch, you bloody pixies!" Alex blurted out as she began racing past the group, making Lucian follow his sister's lead, yelling at her about how he was going to beat her to the pitch. Calista and Ana exchanged eye rolls and darted into a sprint, trying desperately to close the gap between themselves and the Boles.


	5. A Tough One to Beat

Sweat trickled down her forehead. The air felt like knives as she sucked in a few breaths before holding it deep in her chest. Any noise was too much noise. She could hear a high pitched scream coming from the other side of the door. The scream mixed with the sound of a wailing cry. It was overwhelmingly loud, considering she didn't dare create any noise herself. She wasn't sure what would happen if she did make a sound. Unable to hold back her terror, she covered her mouth with her hand, forcing back down absolutely anything that threatened to reveal her hiding spot.

A tear escaped her eye, landing in her lap as she sat on the dusty and crumbling floor. Everything around her was falling apart and she didn't know why. Why were they running? Why was that voice so scared? Why did she know something bad was going to happen?

Ana awoke with a gasp, the nightmare having returned for the first time since she'd been at the castle. She had hoped that they would stop when she got to Hogwarts, but looking back at that, it was stupid to assume that a change in location would heal whatever cruel prank her own brain was playing at. No prank from the twins would ever come close to whatever her head could conjure up.

She sat up, noticing the gentle snores that came from Calista and Alex and how the lake's waters still loomed in darkness. The sun hadn't come up yet, and so she was left restless and startled. It was times like this where she wished she could look out her window and look at the stars instead of staring into the murky lake. She would often go outside and lay in the grass at the Manor when she couldn't fall back asleep; something about the endlessness of the night sky brought her comfort. It reminded her that there was so much out there she had yet to see. There was more than her parents, more than the manor. More than herself.

She looked at her nightstand to see that her potion was already sitting there. Ana grabbed the vial and drank its contents, deciding that staying in her dorm would do her no good. So she put on her shoes and a sweater and left the dormitory, with her wand in her pocket.

The castle looked incredibly different late at night. It was usually so loud and crowded with students, professors and ghosts so seeing it so lifeless made the halls seem double in size. Ana didn't know where to go, her legs just leading her wherever they wanted to take her. Nothing mattered at this point, there was no one around and they probably wouldn't be awake for another hour or two. She didn't know what time it was but guessing from the tiny sliver of light that was peeking through the windows, it was dawn at the latest.

"What are you doing out?" bellowed a voice from behind her. A boy who was years older than her in blue robes started making his way towards her, so Ana ran into the room closest to her. It was dark but from the smell alone she could tell she was in the library. She ran past the tall shelves, crashing into a huge table that she swore was not there in the daytime. Her hip ached but her adrenaline pushed her until she saw a door at the far left part of the room and she ducked inside, hoping that the boy would not look for her there.

She stayed by the door, listening closely for any sign of approaching footsteps. Her heartbeat was in her throat and Ana forced herself to suck in a few deep breaths. Running was not her favorite thing to do so having just been in a full on sprint was a lot for her system.

She sat at the door, waiting to hear any sound coming from the other side of it. The prefect came out of nowhere, and she cursed herself for not having noticed him. After a few minutes of silence, Ana decided to move away from the door just in case the prefect decided to dip his head into the room. The darkness of the room started to unsettle her again.

"Lumos," she whispered.

The room around her started to come into focus as her eyes adjusted to the growing light. It was a rather large room that she found herself in. There were pillars and several levels to the room, all of them leading down to something at the center. Once again her feet moved on their own accord, and she dragged her body down the steps, rubbing at her hip that was sure to bruise.

In front of her was a mirror that almost reached the height of the sloped ceiling, most of the glass covered by a large velvet tarp. Ana found it incredibly strange that the only thing that would be in the room was an old, crumbling mirror. Surely this thing could've been stored in a broom closet somewhere, she thought. It was taking up so much unnecessary space.

Ana wavered by the mirror, finding it a bid odd. She could see the reflection of her flowery pajama pants in the glass, and she imagined she's look ridiculous if anyone had seen her. Well, besides that prefect but she hoped he didn't get close enough to her to get a good look. The longer she looked into the mirror the more it didn't make sense. Something about it felt off. And then she noticed it. And her breath halted.

In the background of the reflection were two more pairs of legs, joining her own. She whipped her head back to see no one was with her; no one had snuck up on her. And yet when she turned back to the mirror, there were three sets of legs. The image terrified her and she started retreating backwards, nearly tripping on the step behind her.

At this point Ana didn't care if there was anyone outside that door, she wanted to be nowhere near that mirror. Maybe it was enchanted or bewitched, but Ana was not about to stick around to find out.

Since the library was never her destination, so she quickly left the room, and made her way through the halls yet again, trying hard to not run into anything or step too loudly. She didn't feel like losing Slytherin any house points her first year. 

After walking aimlessly through the halls undetected, Ana found her way to the Astronomy tower. She had been there before for class, but seeing the expanse of the Hogwarts grounds as the sun rose was another level of beautiful. The lake glimmered like tiny little crystals bouncing off the light of the sun and the sounds coming from the dark forest sounded like a perfectly chaotic lullaby. Ana's hair blew in the gentle breeze that was growing slightly colder as autumn was approaching.

She laid on her side, finding it surprising that the stone floor was as comfortable as it was. Her mind thought back to the twins and that strange mirror. Both of them left her confused and yet she still wanted to learn more. Although, she wasn't sure she'd get the chance to fully understand the twins after the courtyard incident. Perhaps that was a lost cause. The thought made her shiver and she wished she had a blanket with her, making a mental note to remember to bring one the next time she would inevitably sneak out of her dorm room again.

~

"Slytherin captain, Marcus Flint scores again! Bringing the score 70 to 20 with Slytherin in the lead!"

Lee Jordan's voice echoed throughout the entire pitch, the Slytherin versus Gryffindor game was in full swing. Ana was a bit tired given her eventful morning, but she would not dare miss the first Quidditch game of the season. Calista and Alex were screaming at the newest goal, shaking Ana in excitement. She laughed at the two girls who were gripping tight to each other after any major move was played.

Lucian swerved over their heads, smacking a bludger with his bat, aiming it at Angelina who was racing towards the posts. George jumped in, directing the ball in the other direction, knocking into Adrian Pucey's broom, which made him teeter to the side before catching himself. Angelina raced towards the Slytherin post, launching it into the air only to be caught by Miles Bletchley. Between the roar of the audience and Lee Jordan's commentary, Ana was fully immersed in the moment. She missed the roar and excitement of a good game of Quidditch. The back and forth was incredible, the action having been going on for about an hour or so, and the golden snitch had yet to be spotted.

"Slytherin's Klay Morris steals the quaffle from Alicia Spinnet! He's closing in on Wood and- He scores! Another point to Slytherin," Lee yells. "Morris has scored over 50 points for Slytherin! An impressive amount for the seventh year's last season."

Another half an hour passed and the score reached 110 to 70 with Slytherin in the lead. Lucian and Peregrine Derrick had been doing a fantastic job keeping the chasers away from scoring, while Fred and George were able to get a few good whacks in. But it was easy to tell that this was their first game.

Terence Higgs, the Slytherin seeker who had been crisscrossing across the field suddenly dove down, aiming for the ground. Charlie Weasley, Gryffindor's seeker, was close on his tail.

"It seems that Slytherin seeker, Terence Higgs is in pursuit of the snitch! Weasley needs to catch this in order for Gryffindor to win the game!"

Ana should have been watching them chasing the snitch, but she couldn't help but get distracted by the Weasley twins who had resigned to watching their brother race around the pitch instead of playing. They looked at Charlie in awe, probably happy to be able to play with him before he graduated. Fred and George looked happy again, and Ana was relieved. Their last interaction made her pained to see them look so defeated.

Everyone was watching the two seekers, no one paying attention to the Slytherin beater, Peregrine Derrick. In that moment, Derrick hit the bludger into the two Weasley twins, instead of aiming for any of the Gryffindor chasers like he should've been. The heavy iron ball crashed into one of the twins and hit him directly in the chest. He doubled over on his broom, lowering to the ground as the other followed. Ana stood up to watch as they both descended to the grass of the pitch.

"Slytherin Beater Derrick just hit George Weasley with a bludger! That's got to be a foul!" Lee yelled. "What kind of play is that? That's a load of- oh, sorry Professor McGonagall."

George was grabbing at his ribs, clinging to it with white knuckles. Fred was kneeling next to him, running his hands through his younger brother's hair, trying to comfort him. Ana found Fred sweet, he was being so gentle with his brother. She caught a glimpse of the Weasley twins she met on the train and a ball began to form in her throat. She wished this guilt would just disappear already. Slytherin was cheering at the fact that Gryffindor was down their beaters, but all Ana could do was monitor the two of them as they waited for any help to come.

The two seekers were zipping around the pitch, trying desperately to inch ahead of the other to grab the golden ball. Charlie was crashing sideways into Higgs, trying to get the boy to lose control. But that did nothing because a second later, Higgs pulled up, charging straight up into the sky and swiping the snitch into his grasp.

"And Terence Higgs catches the golden snitch! Slytherin wins 260 to 70! Sorry lads, maybe next game," Lee huffed, ending his commentary with a pout.

The Slytherins were screaming in celebration, Alex and Calista entangled in what Ana could only assume was the most bone crushing hug she'd ever witness. And she was happy about Slytherin winning, Lucian had been blabbering on and on about the game for weeks. But the only thing Ana could focus on was how George was assisted off the pitch, his arm slung over Fred's and Charlie's shoulders. All three of them looked disappointed and George had the added look of excruciating pain etched on his face. He was sweating and grimacing any time they swayed him too hard in one direction until he was led off the pitch.

Slytherin house was absolutely buzzing the rest of the day. No matter where, there was always a whoop or a cheer being yelled through the halls or across the Great Hall. Everyone was now at dinner and getting their fill of whatever sweet and dessert they wanted. Ana would respond in excitement anytime someone turned to celebrate with her, but her mind was on the Weasleys. She knew that she should hate them but it was so hard when she saw bits and pieces of the friends that she met on the train. Her eyes scanned the Gryffindor table to only find a deeply depressed Oliver Wood, Angelina Johnson, and the rest of the chasers nibbling at their food. Ana had a guess as to where the twins and Charlie were and once again her feet began moving on their own accord. Dinner wasn't sitting well in her stomach anyways.

'Where ya going, pumpkin?" Lucian beamed at her with a dazzling smile. There was no way she could tell him where she was going. How would he feel if she told him she was going to go check up on his opponent? She couldn't. So she decided to give him the most convincing smile she could.

"I have to go check up on something in the greenhouses! But I'll meet you guys in the common room to celebrate," she promised trying to keep a straight face.

Lucian was going to say more until Derrick shoved a treacle tart into the boy's mouth. Ana saw this as her time to hightail it out of the room, so she left before anyone else stopped her. The sound of cheers started up again, dying out the farther she got from the hall. Thankfully Ana had been to the hospital wing before when Professor Sprout asked her to deliver a few herbs to Madam Pomfrey, or else she would have gotten completely turned around. Only this time she wasn't here on a favor. Ana assumed she was so worried because of how guilty she felt the last time they saw each other. Would they even want to see her? Or talk to her?

Ana had no time to panic about those questions, because when she turned the corner, she saw a hunched over Fred who was sitting on the floor alone. His head snapped in her direction and he scrambled to get up off the floor as she continued to walk towards him. She was a few feet away from him when she realized she hadn't planned what she was going to say. He stared at her with a bit of sharpness, his jaw clenching and unclenching the longer she remained silent.

"How is he?" Ana blurted before she lost her nerve and walked away.

Fred shifted his weight between his feet, "Who?" he huffed at the girl.

"George."

Fred chuckled and he took a step back from her. His harsh glare didn't go away and Ana began to question whether or not she should have come.

"Are you so sure George got hurt? Or maybe it was Fred? Lord knows you can't tell the difference anymore."

Godric why did he have to know exactly what to say to make her feel like a completely rubbish person?

"I didn't mean for that to happen. Things just got out of hand!" She promised.

"So what you didn't mean to hurt me when you called me by the wrong name?"

"I wanted to get on your nerves a bit. You know the way you get on mine?" Ana countered. He wasn't fully innocent in all of this. Sure what she did was uncalled for, but he and his brother had dirty hands too.

"Oh so we blew up a cake in your face. Big whoop!" He was pacing the corridor and his voice seemed louder due to it echoing within the vacant hall.

"I was humiliated, Fred!" She shouted back, remembering how terrible she felt that afternoon. "My very first day at Hogwarts and I get pranked! By the two of you. And you laughed in my face!" She walked up next to him, trying to get him to stop pacing.

"It was a joke!" He threw his hands up in defense coming to face Ana. The movement made her jerk backwards, flinching at how quickly his arms moved towards her. Fred's brows scrunched at the middle, suddenly worried he did something wrong. But he didn't. So why did she flinch? "Bi-," he started.

"You hurt me, Fred Weasley!" She choked, fury and bile was rising in her throat. Every bad feeling she had was emerging, every moment of sadness and pain and humiliation all resurfacing. "I thought we were friends! Why would you do that to me?" she sat down on the stone bench that sat opposite the hospital doors. Her nose began to tickle and she wiggled it, not wanting to cry in front of Fred. She sat with her legs crisscrossed, hunched back, and eyes focused on her hair that rested in her lap.

"So you set a snake out on me and George?" He accused, standing in front of her. She didn't like how much bigger he was than her at the moment. She hated how easy it was for him to make her feel so small.

Ana sighed, finally looking up at him. He didn't look as angry as before but she knew this wasn't over. Fred took a deep breath and dropped next to her. They didn't say anything. They just existed in the same space for a moment without any snide remarks or quick one liners. Ana typically liked silence, but she didn't like when things were unresolved. She wanted to see this through. With a quick twist of her body, she was now facing Fred whose eyes met hers.

"I came here to ask how George is doing," she said firmly. Fred could be difficult with her, but she came for a reason.

Fred looked down at her fingers which were still tangling and unraveling her hair. He hated what was happening between them. He remembered how she played with her hair like this when they were first on the train. Something within him wanted to go back to that day. Maybe not lash out on her when he and George found out who she was. But an even bigger part of him, the more stubborn part told him that this was just how things were. It was complicated, but them being friends would be more astounding than if they were to keep at each other's throats.

"Madam Pomfrey says that he has a few cracked ribs," Fred sighed, looking up at the large doors that separated him from his twin. "They should heal in a couple days but he's going to be sore for a while."

Fred remained silent, and he turned to look at Ana. Her features were unreadable again. He hated how she could turn off so quickly, it made understanding her that much harder for him. Everyone in the Weasley family said what they felt, so it frustrated him to look at her and have to second guess what she was feeling.

"I'm sorry he got hurt," she admitted. He looked at her with surprise; an apology was the last thing he expected. It could have been so easy for her to mock them for getting sidetracked their first game, but she didn't. Fred wished maybe she was a bit harsher on him. Then he could be angry at her without feeling guilty about it.

"But you're not sorry for the snake?" he quipped.

"Are you sorry for blasting me with cake?" she countered without missing a beat.

"No. I'm not."

"Then I'm not sorry about the snake," she concluded.

"Then I won't be sorry when I prank you again!"

"Well, maybe I'll just prank you back, Weasley!'

"I'd like to see you try, blondie," he teased.

They stared at each other again, neither of them knew what was going on. But neither of them felt like doubling down. The large hall that they sat in suddenly felt smaller, their sole focus was on each other. Fred couldn't help but let his apathetic expression crack; he wasn't fantastic at hiding how he felt.

Ana smiled back at him. All of the yelling felt ridiculous, considering the fact that George was probably in immense pain beyond the wooden doors. And yet there they were, arguing about things they weren't going to apologize for. But they were now on the same page.

She let out a small giggle at the situation, which made Fred smile back at her. That same smile he had when he gave up his seat on the carriage. And Fred found himself growing fond of her giggle, for once she didn't look so stern like she always did when they exchanged glances.

"Godric, I need to go to bed," Ana joked.

Fred mirrored her statement with a stretch, pulling his arms back to relieve his poor posture. "I need to see George before I can sleep. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let me in, she had Charlie go in since he was the more mature brother," he rolled his eyes.

This was normal conversation. This is what would be said if they were friends. But they weren't. And yet Ana couldn't help but feel like talking to him like this made sense.

"He knows how worried you are," she leveled with him. "I mean you basically jumped off your broom when he got hurt."

He looked at her like he was studying what she had just said, a smirk growing on his face.

"What now?" she pled. She felt like she was under a microscope anytime he looked at her.

"So you were paying attention to us when we were playing today?" he accused. He crossed his arms and she turned away from him, not wanting to be scrutinized any longer.

Ana chuckled, "I always pay attention to the enemy."

"And I'm your enemy?" he joked, trying to get her to look at him again. He jutted his head in her line of sight so aggressively it caught her off guard.

"Well you're definitely a right pain, Weasley!" she laughed, leaning away from him but looking back at him. The smile never left his face.

"Back at you, Malfoy." 

"I hate you."

"I hate you more."

There was no venom in their voices as the two of them stared at each other. Maybe hating each other was something they would grow to enjoy. She no longer wanted him to ignore her. Sure, they'd be at each other's throats from time to time, but she knew she could reciprocate whatever they dished out.

Before she could say anything more, the two massive wooden doors creaked open, revealing Madam Pomfrey. She gave Ana a quick smile before turning to Fred.

'You're allowed to see your brother now," she told the boy. "But make it quick because he'll need his rest."

He stood up, looking relieved to be able to see his brother. She could only imagine how horrible he felt not knowing exactly how George was doing. Fred took one final look at Ana, a gentle smile pulling at his lips.

"See you around, Malfoy," he smirked as he was led beyond the double doors, slamming behind him with a bang.


	6. Ammunition

Fred was confusing. After their talk in the hospital wing, Fred and Ana didn't come to an agreement. Neither of them had apologized for anything they had done. There was shouting, and pouting, and pounding adrenaline racing through them both as they aired out their grievances. And yet, there was no reconciliation. All of this left Ana confused, because she was no longer feeling angry at the boys. Sure, they were a pain to her and endlessly annoying, but perhaps she could have a bit of fun. If they were going to prank her and the Slytherin house, she might as well beat them at their own game.

And it didn't take long for the twins to prank the group. A week or so from their "fight" the twins had bribed a house elf to serve Ana and her friends some tea during dinner. That would have been a nice gesture had it not been for the nose-biting teacups that snapped at them.

"I've seen these before," Lucian jumped to sit next to Ana on the benches. "It's a Zonko product. The twins got me good last year with one of these." He picked up the tea cup which began snapping furiously at him, trying so hard to nip at the boy.

"Well, then it's game on," Ana smirked. She took a glance over at the Gryffindor table where the twins waved at her in mock innocence. They looked so smug and Ana wanted nothing then to wipe those dumb grins off their faces.

"What are you talking about, Ana?" Calista was dabbing a napkin on Alex's cheek; the teacup had bit her hard enough to break the skin. Alex was holding perfectly still, allowing the girl to mend her small wound which Ana found adorable.

While Ana's attention was on the girls, Lucian began taking notice at the way Aeron was watching the group. Every meal, Aeron would sit close enough to the group to overhear everything, but far enough to seem uninvolved. He was shoveling food into his mouth, but would constantly peer over periodically. When the boy looked up from his food and caught Lucian's suspicious expression, he smirked and returned to his meal.

"Look, the twins keep messing with people because no one fights back," Ana explained excitedly, taking a stab at her strawberry and plopping it in her mouth. "Maybe instead of being sitting ducks we could do a bit of pranking ourselves."

All of them stared at her in disbelief.

"Ana, what happened to just ignoring them," Alex reminded her with a chuckle, "Have you eaten anything weird lately?"

Lucian rolled his eyes at his sister's accusation, "There's a reason no one pranks them. They'll go even harder on you. Besides, you're not one to retaliate. What do you- so you want to prank them back?"

Ana studied her friends, both the girls staring at her in confusion. Lucian was analyzing her, anticipating her next out-of-character statement. All their expressions made her a little uncomfortable, but she couldn't ignore just how exhilarated she felt. Her heart was beating hard and she didn't know if this was nerves or excitement, but the idea of beating the twins at their own game felt like something she couldn't pass up.

"Seriously? None of you have thought about pranking them back? Maybe sprinkle a little Alihotsy leaves into their tea?" Ana was buzzing with ideas.

"That's a childish move."

The four of them turned to Aeron, finally deciding to join in on their conversation after eavesdropping the whole meal. He finally put down his fork and shuffled closer to the group, sitting beside Alex and Calista. He folded his boney fingers together and leaned forward, bringing his long thin face mere inches away from Ana's.

"You seriously think you can prank the key tricksters at school with a simple little plant? Just gonna give them a few giggle leaves and be on your way?" He condescended. "If you want to beat them, really prank the pants off of them, Malfoy. You have to up the ante."

"What are you talking about?" Ana asked, shifting nervously in her seat.

"I mean hit them where it hurts, blondie," rebellion glowing in his hawk-like eyes. "You wanna be a punching bag for them all your life? Or do you want to actually do something about it?"

Ana's excitement was starting fizzling away, the way Aeron was talking about a simple prank was a bit much, even for how badly she wanted to do one. She moved further back, trying to put some space between her and the boy. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, this was not what she was expecting.

"Calm down, Scarface," Calista giggled, waiting for a reaction from the rest of them, but they only exchange confused looks. "Really? No one? Godric, do none of you watch movies?" Alex returned her joke with a pitiful smile.

Aeron's eyes scanned over to Calista, glaring at her with a sneer. The boy never talked to her much, oftentimes he would just stare at her harshly and she would ignore him. But quickly, he returned his attention back to Ana, the small smile slipping off his face and settling on a grimace instead. The way he was looking at her made her stomach turn, the acid gurgling at the base of her gut. Aeron was doing too much.

"Aeron, I don't want to do anything extreme. Just something silly, like," Ana picked up the snapping teacup, "-like this. Nothing that could hurt them."

"You mean like setting a couple of snakes to attack them?" He jeered.

Ana's eyes bulged, as did everyone else's. Now her stomach was accompanied with a shiver that ran down her spine. Ana turned her gaze towards Lucian, nervously chewing on her lower lip and shaking her leg.

Lucian was able to pick up on Ana's change in demeanor.

"Wright, were you spying on us?" Lucian accused as he leaned past Ana, trying to put some space between her and the gangly boy. His two years on Aeron gave him a bit of an advantage, being taller and a bit stronger from playing Quidditch. But Ana had never seen Lucian look so angry before. His nostrils were flared and his blue eyes were hooded as he scowled. "Because if you were, I may have to bring out my beater's bat."

The young boy sat further back, but his smirk never ceased, "Is that a threat, Bole?"

"Keep talking and you'll find out."

Lucian stood up abruptly so he was towering over the seated boy. Aeron peered up at Lucian and laughed weakly at the intimidation. When they thought he couldn't make them any more uneasy, he stood up and let out a croaked chuckle. Both of them took a moment to stare each other down, all the girls laser focused on the two boys.

"This was a fun little time. I come over trying to help blondie and I get shut down," he recounted. Aeron glances down at Ana with furrowed brows and a sinister smile. "But go ahead! Do it your way, then."

Before leaving the Great Hall, he reached down and took the sandwich off of Calista's plate and began eating it with a smile, the crumbs falling from his mouth. He was giving them the most pleased smile until Alex reached up and ripped the sandwich out of his hand and threw the scraps back in his face. Without missing a beat, he charged out of the hall, leaving all of them confused and a bit spooked. Alex sat back down and wiped her hands clean of the sandwich goop. Calista smiled back at her softly and Lucian sat back down next to Ana.

Silence enveloped all of them. All of that was unnecessary and way out of line, even for Ana who wanted to get back at the twins. But the way Aeron was encouraging her to go about it made her wish she never said anything. The fact that he listening in on their conversation during dinner and spied on them that day with the snakes made her feel gross.

"So," Alex drawled, trying to bring the group back to the present, "what kind of prank were you thinking of, Malfoy?"

All three of them turned back to her with a smile and Ana couldn't help but start blabbing about things she could do to get back at them. She wasn't going to let Aeron ruin this for her. It was going to be good, clean, mutual pranking. Nothing more.

~ 

"Professor Snape!" Ana called out to the potions master after their last class of the day. The double potions was a lot to have just finished, so there shouldn't be any real reason for her to talk to him. And she didn't typically talk to the head of the house out of class time, but she knew she had to speak with him to get what she wanted.

Snape looked dreadful today, more so than he usually did. His hair was always as greasy and gnarly looking as ever, but goodness the man desperately needed some sleep she figured. Maybe the change in seasons was getting to him. She often dreaded when the weather turned cold.

He turned to her with his nose pointed high, effectively letting her see right up his nostrils. Snape always had a flair for the dramatics; he whooshed his cape around his body and tucked himself into it, like a bat would before hibernating.

"What could you possibly need, Malfoy?" His nasally voice snarled. "Was my lesson today not adequate enough for you?"

"No professor, lessons were fine," she explained.

"Than what is the purpose of you requiring more of my time?"

Ana took a second. If she told him that she wanted to brew potions beyond what he taught, he would surely know she was up to something. He was a good teacher, and tolerated her to a fair degree, but he was no Professor Sprout.

"I was wondering if you had any potions books you'd recommend, Professor. "I've already finished Magical Drafts and Potions," that was a lie, "so I was hoping maybe you could give me a few suggestions."

The man looked at her with squinted eyes and a scrunched up brow. He always looked angry or confused so this wasn't surprising. But what was surprising was when the sneer that painted his mouth slowly twisted up into what she cold guess was Snape's impression of a smile. Slowly, he began to turn away from her and started floating towards the back of the classroom as if his feet weren't touching the ground. When Ana didn't follow he turned back and motioned for her to join him with a quick wave.

"You have a passion for potion making?" he grumbled.

Ana nodded. "I do, sir. My mother makes quite a few potions back home. It always fascinated me."

"I know all about that, given the fact that I have to brew a particular potion for you every morning," he reminded her. He glided past his desk and began fumbling with the various books he had stacked high on his shelves. The room was dark, it too being situated under the Black Lake. No wonder Snape was so pale, he never saw the sun. "Nevertheless, you do just so happen to be the most competent first year to be taking my class. Your mother used to be very good at potions."

"Oh, my mother is still great at making po-"

"And your mother was very good at potions," he interrupted, pausing a moment, "when she was a student at Hogwarts. I'm not surprised to find you also possess the knowledge and temperament needed for such a meticulous skill."

He grabbed one of the books from his shelf with a pinch and twisted back to Ana who had taken a seat at one of the chairs by his desk. The book was old and practically torn at the spine; whoever read this book, and she assumed Snape read it quite a bit, they really wore it to shreds. Snape shifted towards her, holding the book inches from her.

"This book was written by no other than one of the most accomplished wizards in the potions world: Phineas Bourne," he admired the book as he showed her the front of it. Moste Potente Potions was written on the front of it. "How good is your Latin Ms. Malfoy? Care to translate?"

Ana knew talking to him would be difficult, but she could handle his little challenge. She took a glance at the book, she didn't know Latin but the title didn't pose much of an issue. "I'm going to guess the book is Most Potent Potions, sir?"

"Correct, Ms. Malfoy," he sat at his desk, waving the book in front of him. "This particular book has a copy in the library's restricted section. Its contents are so far darker than anything being taught here. Let alone for a first year."

"It's a book on the Dark Arts?" Ana questioned, staring at the book wondering why he was showing it to her if it wasn't suitable for someone her age.

Snape stood back up turning back to his shelf. He picked up another book; it was in far better condition than the other one, its black and purple embossed cover still glossy.

"That book was on dark potions, Ms. Malfoy," he corrected. "This one is on the Dark Arts."

Secrets of the Darkest Art by Owle Bullock. He held it with such a grip as if holding it to loosely would unravel the words inside. Maybe that's why it was in such good condition, if it was truly filled with vile, dark magic, no one with a right mind would want to go snooping around in it. Unless they were desperate. Snape held both books in front of him, the potions and the dark arts book.

"A day may come when you might need one of these books, Ms. Malfoy," he hissed. "I can only assume with your lineage you will face certain obstacles in your life."

"My lineage?"

He once again sharply turned on his heal to move back beyond his desk, looking at his shelf. She wondered if he would burn a hole in his floor from pacing so much. He should just sit down or maybe stand in one place for a second. All she wanted was a simple book recommendation, not whatever one man play he was performing now. Snape was always a more private and mysterious man, but she was beginning to wonder if he was actually like that or just liked the attention being strange got him.

"Your lineage is one that everyone knows, it is legendary and comes with a heavy amount of both criticism and admiration," his tone was flat. "Surely, you understand that some people may have a feeling about you simply given your family name."

He looked at her with such force, it was almost laughable how intense he was making this meeting turn out to be. But she understood what he meant. The Gryffindors treated her differently as soon as they heard her last name. Even the Great Hall erupted in murmurs when Professor McGonagall announced her. Malfoy was a name full of tradition and superiority, as did the rest of her family: Lestrange and Black. She already entered the school with a reputation. How she was supposed to fully understand that reputation, she wasn't entirely sure.

"I know that my name means something to other people," Ana answered.

"What does it mean to you?"

She never really thought what the name Malfoy meant to her. It was something she was born with. And with it came a family that she was born into. It was all a given, so there was no real reason to think too deeply about it. His question had her stumped.

"I'm not entirely sure Professor." She admitted. He turned back from his shelf to look at her with a glare. Not mean, but direct. He was choosing his words carefully.

"I implore you begin thinking about it, Ms. Malfoy. Because while you take your time trying to figure it out, everyone around you will already have made up their mind."

He turned with a controlled twirl, handing her Charms of Defence and Deterrence by Catullus Spangle. Ana was confused. She asked for a book on potions and yet, he gave her one about charms.

"Professor, are you sure this is the right book? This one is about defensive charms," Ana brought to his attention.

The teacher looked at her with an empty expression, "I am well aware of the contents of the book, Ms. Malfoy. Believe or not, I have read everything in my library."

He sat back down at his desk, his stare never leaving the young girl and she found his drawl to be wasting so much of their time. She figured their double potions could have easily fit into one session had he not talked so slowly.

"I am giving you this book because our current Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is lacking in both know-how and experience," he accused.

He wasn't entirely wrong. The defense teacher was a recent Hogwarts graduate who was given the position by Dumbledore. He wasn't a horrible teacher but Professor Brookes just sat them down for an hour of silent reading until he assigned work and excused them. It wasn't the most practical class.

"When you are done with this book, we can see you to one on potions." And with that, she knew that their conversation was over. 

Ana stood up, taking the book and giving the man an appreciative smile. Godric did she want to get out of there. Being under the lake and listening to him murmur on and on was the perfect way to get someone to fall asleep. She made her way out of the cramped office and hurriedly made it back to the common room. Ana turned the book, taking in the bright cobalt cover. Maybe it was a good idea to get a bit more of an understanding of defensive magic, she knew her DADA teacher wasn't going to be of much help. She figured she'd read a bit of the charms book and then head to the library later on to find one that would actually help her prank the twins.


	7. The Diviner's Accusation

"Bibiana, you've got to put that book down!" Lucian laughed, as he dropped his spoon in order to judge her better and smirk at her.

It had been around a month since she had gotten the book from Snape and despite her honest intentions to use it to prank the twins, she had actually found the book interesting. Sure, she was reading way more than required which even made Calista side-eye her, but she couldn't help it. It was fascinating to learn of all the things their incompetent DADA teacher wasn't teaching. This book was something she wished she could share with the rest of the first years. Merlin knows they could use it.

"Why do I have to put it down? I like reading," she defended herself. Refusing to take her eye off the pages, she reached out for her water goblet only to knock it over in the process. Quickly she lifted the book so it wouldn't get wet and Alex swiped it right out of her hand.

"You brought it to the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff match last week, Ana. Enough is enough," Alex complained.

"That game ended with a 250 to 20 score, I'm sorry but halfway through the game it was pretty obvious who was going to win!" Ana countered, holding her hand out for her book.

"You bring it to the loo!"

Ana's eyes were like daggers on Alex, given that the girl had stolen her book, but also because she didn't need the rest of the Slytherin table to know that she did, in fact, bring the book to the bathroom. Ana nearly snarled as she reached out for the book.

"No, you don't deserve it back," Alex put the book underneath her and preceded to sit on it. Calista and Lucian laughed at her, as Ana continued to pout.

"I was just getting to the Accio charm" Ana whined. "I will go over there and snatch that thing from your under your butt!"

"I'd like to watch you try that one out, blondie," Lucian chuckled into his drink.

Maybe they were right. She had been reading that book for weeks, winter break was already approaching. It wasn't like she was neglecting her other classes. Godric, she had even been able to keep up with working with Professor Sprout in the greenhouses all this time. She would just flip through the pages of her book while tending to some of the more mild mannered plants. But still she was getting done what she had to.

"Why did you want that book in the first place," Calista asked her while she was pouring Alex more pumpkin juice when her glass got empty.

"I wanted a book that maybe had more outlandish potions in it; one that I could use to prank the twins," Ana admitted. "But Professor Snape gave me that one instead, and well. You can obviously tell I like it."

All though if she were honest, since she got the book, the thought of pranking the twins had pretty much entirely disappeared from her mind. She found herself more fascinated with the charms and incantations she found as she stayed up until two in the morning, scanning through the pages. Thank god her bed had a canopy to hide her reading or else that the girls would have another thing to make fun of.

"Well it's been weeks since they pranked you last, I'm thinking your window for getting them back has expired. Why bother at this point?"

Ana sat there waiting for either the conversation to end or her getting her book back. Neither seemed to be happening. A brushing of Lucian's arm beside her startled her; he had reached over to her fruit bowl and stabbed a strawberry. He held the fruit out for her and he looked at her like a mother trying to feed their insolent baby. She bit it off but not without rolling her eyes at his overprotective gesture.

"You haven't eaten at all, Ana," Lucian rationalized. "It's been half an hour and I'm not going to let you leave here without eating an actual meal."

"No meal, no book," Calista added while Alex began to shimmy side to side on top of the book for good measure. Alex cheekily winked at Ana, while Lucian held up a fork to her. She took it reluctantly, figuring that they were right. And as if on cue her stomach began to grumble and all of them laughed at the sound.

"Okay, fine," Ana conceded with a giggle as she began placing some food on her plate. Whenever she felt like she had enough, Lucian would serve another scoop and gave her a look that told her she shouldn't complain. And the more she ate the more she realized that maybe her attention had been too involved in the book. Actually talking with her friends and hearing what happened at the Quidditch game she neglected to watch felt made her realize just how distracted she had become. But she was excited to start spending more time with them again.

After she had eaten probably the more food than all of last week, Ana was tiredly rubbing her stomach. She hadn't eaten everything Lucian gave her, but also he gave her enough to feed a troll. He began scraping at the bits left on her plate when she shook her head furiously. She couldn't eat another bite.

"Lucian, cool it. She's gonna explode if you keep force feeding her," Alex joked, while splitting a brownie with Calista, giving the other girl the bigger half.

"Piss off, Lex," he laughed, letting the fork go with a clang.

"How are you feeling now?" Calista began pulling apart her half of the brownie.

They all looked at her with prideful smiles. They had gotten what they wanted at her expense. But Ana couldn't ignore how much better she felt having eaten.

"You know, maybe the twins got bored of me," Ana laughed. "I mean the prank idea seemed good at the time, but they haven't done anything outrageous for weeks!"

"So you're going to return the book?" Alex asked, slipping the book out from under her butt. She held it beside her, flaunting it like a bag of one million galleons.

"I'm not going to return the book," Ana reached for it and Alex whipped her hand back to sit on it again. "But I will cool it with the reading."

Alex looked at Calista for confirmation and the girl nodded. Regretfully, Alex gave her the book which Alex immediately put into her bag. She wanted them to know that she was there with them in the moment. Reading before bed could be her thing instead, she compromised.

The four spent the rest of the meal talking about the upcoming Quidditch match which was going to be between Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Lucian was bouncing with excitement, probably producing enough energy to light up a small town. That was until Derrick pulled him to the side to talk about practice. Calista was telling Alex all about a muggle movie she just had to watch and Ana just enjoyed watching all of them engage in their small conversations.

Her eyes drifted over to the Gryffindor table to see the twins dangling a piece of spaghetti over Lee's head while Angelina started launching meatballs into his mouth. They were laughing and reeling when Lee started swatting the food away., which made Ana smile. They were annoying but she was content knowing that within their circle, they were happy like she was. Maybe their mutual hatred would disappear and they could just exist in the same space together. Ana imagined she could settle with that. George nudged at his brother when he noticed the girl was staring at them. She quickly replaced her smile with a pointed look, not wanting them to know that she was looking at the group admirably. She was a Slytherin after all.

Fred then pulled out a napkin and swiped a quill out of the hand of his brother Percy, who was trying to study beside them. The older boy hardly protested, and George hovered over Fred as the boy began scribbling. His twin was giggling, looking pleased with whatever his brother wrote. With a fold of the paper and a flick of his wand, the piece of paper, rocketed into her lap, nearly hitting Alex in the back of the head.

Given up, Malfoy? Make your move or we'll just have another go.

Gred & Forge

Lucian looked at the note and scoffed, looking up at the twins and playfully beckoning for them to approach him while banging on his chest. The twins laughed in response and Fred winked over at the two of them. Alex grabbed the note and asked her if she was going to prank them back.

"I don't think so," Ana sighed. "To be honest I don't think I care enough to devise a whole plan just for a prank. Sure their reaction would have been priceless, but ignoring their little pranks sounds far less exhausting."

"Good call," Calista beamed at her friend from across the table, popping the last bit of brownie into her mouth.

"Besides, I want to spend more time with everyone before Christmas break!" she admitted. "I guess I didn't realize how much I've been neglecting you guys."

"How very touching," Aeron sniggered as he zoomed past the four of them, not stopping for them to respond to his intrusion. Alex jumped to her feet ready to pounce, until Calista grabbed her by her shoulders and shoved her back down.

"One day he needs a whooping!" Alex shouted, making the three of them burst out laughing. All of them had been thoroughly annoyed with Aeron, and to a degree they all agreed with her. The sound caught the attention of Fred Weasley. The sound of Ana's laugh was something he noticed whenever it popped up. It didn't happen much, so when she laughed with the entirety of her chest, he couldn't help but notice. Maybe one day he could get her to laugh like that.

But as quickly as the sound came, it grew further and further from him as she and the rest of her friends got up and headed out of the Great Hall.

"No, Calista, I don't know what a Walkman is!" Ana giggled as her friend was going on a rampage about some muggle group called Nirvana. From what Ana could tell the songs they sang were all a bit mad. Alex and Lucian kept asking questions about the musical group when a tall, scraggly woman stumbled around a corner and into Ana. Lucian caught the girl before she could slam into the ground, and the woman used Ana to regain her balance.

"Professor Trelawney are you okay?" Lucian asked the frazzled woman, her eyes magnified by the huge lenses that sat on her pointed nose. The woman however did not care for Lucian as she grabbed Ana's shoulders in a bruising grip, and hoisted her up against the wall behind her, smacking the girl's head on the stone.

"Professor!" Lucian bellowed, coming over to Ana's side. The woman's clammy forehead pressed firmly against the Ana's as she bellowed in a demonic tone-

"The child born in fire and smoke, born under the reign of Ganymede will prove to be most helpful when her body returns to the earth!"

The woman was screaming at Ana with only an inch between them and it took all of Ana's energy to not burst into panicked tears. She tried to struggle out of the woman's grip, but the professor's bony fingers dug even deeper into her shoulder, practically splitting the muscle in half. Ana let out a cry of pain but that did nothing to help. The girl's legs had been hauled off the floor by the Professor's talons, resulting in bleeding digs at her skin.

"Coming from many, belonging to none, liar to all, loyal to some. She will cease to exist at the hands of those that lay in her very house. From once she was born, forever the parasite, she will relinquish all she has gained in order to vanquish that who tore her in two."

Ana dropped to the hard floor in a heap, her legs collapsed beneath her once she was released. Her head was spinning and she could hardly breathe. The knot in her stomach and the pounding in her head wasn't just from the roughness of the teacher, but her words made Ana break out in a cold sweat. She was shaking violently, unable to wrap her head around the vitriol the professor spat at her.

Alex and Calista helped her to her feet, noticing the blood on the back of her head and at the base of her neck. The splotch of red completely soaked through the silver of her hair. Her skin had been scratched raw at her shoulders. But Ana couldn't focus. She couldn't focus on being led to the hospital, or when Professor Trelawney came out of her trance in a snap.

But a pair of red heads watched with worried eyes as she stared out into the distance, emotionless and stiff. The only thing the girl could focus on was the blurry lights that clouded her vision and the passing of the school walls until she was placed on a soft surface. As soon as she was laid down everything went black.

The night had passed by in a whirl. She remembered leaving the Great Hall and then being scared half out of her mind by someone with the largest eyes she'd ever seen. Everything was a bit blurry, but the woman's eyes stuck out. That and the deep growling voice that felt like blades across the skin. Or maybe that was just the woman's nails that did a number on her shoulders that really felt like knives.

Ana found that a large bandage had been wrapped around her head and plaster was stuck at the base of her neck when she woke up. Her shoulders ached and the split on her head hurt, but it wasn't the most banged up she'd ever been. She began stretching, trying to loosen the stiffness in her muscles when a glimmer of glass caught her eye and she found a vial next to her bed.

Please don't get injured. It makes delivering your medicine incredibly hard on me. -S.S.

She rolled her eyes at her professor's note; of course he would make it about himself. But she did appreciate that he was able to get it to her, so she drank it without hesitation.

An echo in her head kept replaying the words that the woman said. The pieces were scattered and she knew that she would not be able to make sense of it all on her own. The room was nearly empty except for a sixth year Ravenclaw who she had learned was injured in the Quidditch game she neglected to pay attention to. He had is arm in a sling and his foot was elevated on some sort of a contraption that was connected to the ceiling. She started regretting not seeing that injury take place. It must've been gnarly if that was the aftermath.

A few hours passed and as soon as Madam Pomfrey opened up the doors to visitors, Calista, Alex, and Lucian rammed themselves into the wing. They began to bombard her with questions about her condition and they brought her strawberries and a mountain of baked goods from the Great Hall. Madam Pomfrey hollered at the group for how loud they were at so early in the morning. The Ravenclaw student stirred uncomfortably in his sleep.

Her friends were going back and forth about what could've possessed Trelawney to act that way, juggling between drinking an insanity poison and being cured. They spoke of it so lightly as if they didn't even care about what the teacher said, but her mind was reeling at the memory. Lucian was sitting at a chair to the side while the girls sat at the base of her cot. Ana found that nibbling on her chocolate chip muffin was the best use of her time.

"Hey, Malfoy," Lucian leaned in, crouching himself in half in order to get near her. "You okay?"

The girls stopped talking to pay attention to their friend, Alex took it upon herself to nibble on one of Ana's bagels. Calista smacked the girl's arm, so Alex offered her some.

"I just-" Ana kept picking at the muffin, scraping the crumbs off the wrapper, "I can't help but think about what she said."

"I know! She sounded so angry," Calista agreed softly.

"It's not about how she said it, Cal, okay?" Ana sighed, trying to make sense of her own thoughts so she wouldn't come off the wrong way. "Trelawney said some creepy stuff and I just don't know what to think about it. But you guys are only concerned about how she was acting. Why is no one but me worried about what she said?"

The girls looked at each other nervously and Lucian dragged his stool closer. He looked at her sullenly, letting out a labored sigh as he struggled to find something to say. Ana stared at him in anticipation, eagerly waiting his comment while fearing it at the same time.

"The thing is, we don't want you to worry about what she said. One time she said that a dragon was going to sweep me off my feet. And I don't think I'm going to be fancying a date with a dragon anytime soon," he chuckled lightly, trying to make the situation less heavy. Ana humored him and offered him a soft smile but she knew it wasn't going to be convincing. "I understand why you are upset though. Trelawney didn't say the most cheery things, did she?"

"No, she didn't. Merlin, what did she say? Something about 'being useful when she's dead'? What does that even mean?" Ana slumped in her cot, her feet resting on Alex's lap.

"I don't know how anyone can be useful when they're dead. Because, well, they're dead," Alex wondered.

"Thank you so much for your input, Alex," Ana mocked with a smirk which Alex responded with by sticking out tongue.

The large wooden doors creaked open and a pair of red headed boys walked in silently which was a sight to behold. Those boys were never ever silent, and yet they marched over to her with smirks on their freckled faces. Without a word, they bowed at the hip and George held out a piece of parchment to Ana which she accepted cautiously. As soon as the paper left his hands, they sprang back up and ran out the wing. They didn't even make eye contact with her; they were in and out so fast.

Ana started giggling as soon as they left the hospital wing, and she stared at the tiny piece of paper in her hand.

Considering your condition, we'll call this a cease fire. You have the holiday break to relax. But once we're back in January, it's game on.

Gred & Forge

"They are sparing me until next year," Ana laughed as she passed the parchment to Calista, who chuckled and passed it to Alex.

"They don't know that you've given up on pranking them do they?" Lucian asked her, laying his elbows on her cot. Thankfully, she was sitting crisscross or else there would be no room for her to be on her own bed. Ana shook her head at the boy and he smiled widely. "Well enjoy your month and a half of peace because that's the most you're going to get."

Ana hated it, but he was right. She grimaced at the thought and laid her head back, accidently smacking her sore head on the iron rail of the cot. Lucian jumped at her smack, looking at her with a pitiful smile as she rubbed the sore spot. Winter break couldn't come fast enough.


	8. "Take Them, Blondie."

Getting thrown into a wall by a teacher might've been the most beneficial beating Ana had ever received, because the twins never bothered her once. She was surprised; she figured they would have gone harder on her since her guard was down. But anytime the twins had ever given her a speck of attention, all they did was give her a cheeky wink and point to their wrists, signifying that she was on borrowed time. She'd take what she was given.

With the weight lifted off her shoulder she was able to focus on things that she had been neglecting. She had been spending more time with Professor Sprout in the greenhouses and even had seen Professor Snape about a few of the spells she read about in the book she borrowed. Of course Alex and Calista weren't going to know about the latter; they would have given her a hard time about being so invested in the book. Snape wasn't the most cheery person to talk about, but even Ana had to admit that the man knew what he was doing when it came to defense against the dark arts.

But one of the biggest events that Ana was able to focus on was the Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw match that Lucian had ben hounding her for days on. The last game Ravenclaw played resulted in the loss of one of their players, the boy that Ana say in the hospital. She got released far before the injured boy did, and from what she could see of his damage, he wasn't going to be leaving the infirmary anytime soon. Because of that, the stand in for their keeper was rumored to be pretty terrible on the broom.

"I've seen this kid before!" Lucian hollered in excitement as he scrapped at the bacon and eggs on his plate. "First year, he could hardly stay on his broom and now he's the alternate? We've got this game in the bag. And when we win, we'll be in the finals!"

The boy took a big gulp of his pumpkin juice looking awfully proud of himself. But none of the girls were convinced. It wasn't like him to be bragging about winning a match, especially before the match even begun.

"Lucian, you need to cool it or else your big head is going to cost you the game," Alex laughed at him. Calista and Ana exchanged similar looks, meanwhile Lucian glared at his sister with a dirty glare.

"Look, I'm just excited," he justified, his excitement dwindling to zero so he began to take it out on his food. His knife was nearly cracking the plate in half as he was attacking his breakfast with a sudden burst of irritation. "You guys would be too if you knew you were about to win a game."

Alex and Calista huffed loudly at the boy, which didn't make his expression falter. If anything he looked more upset. Ana remained quiet though; whatever high Lucian was on was bound to end one way or another.

"Just, don't try to jinx it," Calista brought to his attention while she took a spoonful of her extremely sugary cereal. "We want you to be excited, but not conceited. Sure, the Ravenclaw player may not be good, but you can't guarantee a win."

Lucian's downtrodden look only got worse as he got up from his seat, leaving his meal half eaten. With a sad glance at his friends, he left them alone without another word, stomping loudly out the Great Hall. Ana, Alex, and Calista all looked at each other guiltily. Ana hated seeing the usually upbeat and cheery boy look so dejected.

"Guys, I'm gonna go talk to him," Alex said as she grabbed her waffle in her bare hands and began to stand from her seat. "I don't want him going into the game upset."

Both the girls agreed, knowing that Alex would probably be the best person to talk him down from his high horse. That or she'd make it worse by instigating him even more. Either option seemed possible at the moment. All Ana knew was that she hated seeing Lucian so upset; what they said was honest but she understood why he took it to heart. "Want us to come with you?"

The girl shook her head, "No. I can handle this. Make sure you save me a seat though!"

And with that, the younger Bole sprinted out of the room. Then there were two.

Calista began twirling at her twists; she had taken out her extensions to give her hair a break and Ana found Calista's new look so fun.

"Do you think I was too harsh?" she asked Ana with a saddened look.

"What do you think, Kane?" Aeron said as he slid next to Ana. He had the most incredible ability to pop into their business whenever he wanted. She couldn't help but shift a few inches to the side in order to put distance between her and the boy. "You saw his face, of course you were too harsh on him."

Ana hated to admit it, but Aeron was right. Anyone could see that their reaction bothered the boy and it pained her that he was off somewhere pouting in the castle. "Cal, unfortunately, he's right."

He looked at her disapprovingly, "Unfortunately?"

She gave him a half smile, hoping he would look over her comment, it was habit for her to be a bit snarky with him. He had been rude for the longest time, so if he took her reply as rude, she wouldn't lose any sleep over it. "We've got to make it up to him somehow."

"Like what?"

"Well no matter what you birds choose, you guys better hope Slytherin wins the game. Or else he'll be in an even worse mood." Aeron warned them as he slid away from the girls and bounded out of the Great Hall looking as stern as ever.

Ana and Calista's faces reflected one another; they were concerned. And their only saving grace was in Alex's hands. The incoming sound of owls hooting filled the room, distracting them from their current problem. Packages were falling, nearly hitting some kids in the head, but thankfully the post that came for Ana was just a tiny envelope. She took a bite out of her cinnamon roll and tore open the letter. Her favorite little guy had sent her a letter.

Dear Ana,

I can't wait for when your holiday break starts! The manor has been so boring without you. And quiet. I miss hearing you bump into things and then yelling at them for hurting you. Dobby says "hi" by the way. He wanted me to tell you that. I miss you a lot. Halloween wasn't the same without you baking brownies with Mum. She tried, but she didn't put little sprinkles on them like you do. Either way, have fun the rest of this term!

\- Draco :)

Ana glowed as she read the letter from Draco. She was missing her little brother terribly. He was a clingy pain in her side, but he was her best friend. The manor was dull and quiet, but he was always the silver lining. There was life because of him. And it had been months since she had seen him last. She wondered if he got any taller, of if he was still a little ball of energy and eye rolls.

"What's got you so happy all of a sudden?" Calista asked, offering her a half smile; she felt too upset to give Ana anything peppier.

"It's just Draco," Ana sighed happily while she held the card up to her chest, as if that would bring her any closer to her brother who was cooped up in the manor. It didn't, but it felt right to do in Ana's mind.

Calista simply nodded at her friend, as she went about poking her cereal. Neither of them were super hungry anymore. The game was going to start soon.

~

Ana and Calista were standing outside the pitch waiting for Alex to return from speaking to Lucian. It had been radio silent from Alex's end and the two of them were beginning to worry. Both of the girls were shaking uncontrollably, not only because it was freezing, but because their nerves were getting to them.

"And what are you two snakes doing out here?" A familiar voice shouted from behind the girls. They turned around to see Fred and George giving them identical smirks. It was almost scary how perfect the twins mimicked one another. They were all snuggled in their matching monogrammed knit sweaters, their long Gryffindor scarves, and fluffy mittens. Ana momentarily wished she had one of those sweaters as another blast of cold ran through her. Her winter robes were stylish due to the Malfoy need to be in only the finest looking clothes, but they were terrible at keeping out the wind and the snow.

"We're waiting for our third snake," Ana replied with a challenging smirk. "Why aren't you two cubs in the stands yet?"

Calista was snickering behind Ana, as she watched one of the twins and Ana stare each other down. She looked over at the other twin who appeared to be entertained just by observing Ana and his older brother.

"Just wanted to root on the Slytherin team as they came from the changing room," Fred joked with a twinkle in his eye. "Ya know, being a good fellow Quidditch player. It's in the name of sportsmanship."

Ana rolled her eyes at his ridiculousness and she took a step closer to the red heads. Fred always had something to say. "And what exactly do you mean when you say you're going to 'root them on'?"

"They mean absolutely nothing, right boys?" Charlie Weasley turned from around a corner to grab at the shoulders of his younger brothers. Despite him being a seventh year, their older brother was not much taller than the twins, but he was far broader and stronger than they were. Ana assumed that if he went against the Hogwarts Express, the train would tip over on its side before the boy even noticed he'd been hit.

"What possibly-"

"-do you mean?" George finished his brother's sentence.

Calista chuckled at the two twins folding under their older brother's mere presence, and by Charlie's white knuckles, he was probably putting the boys in a little bit of pain. They never backed down from anything, but Charlie seemed to hold more power than the quiet boy let on.

"Oh, it's alright," Ana chuckled, as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She was freezing and the game didn't even start yet, but she was not going to turn down the opportunity to give the twins a hard time. And it seemed like Charlie was game, "I can handle these boys."

Charlie looked down at the tiny blonde girl who was shaking like a leaf and couldn't help but laugh softly. But when her eyes laser focused on him, he could tell that she was dead serious. "You know what, kid. I believe you."

Ana smirked at the boy's admission and the twins groaned in frustration.

From around the corner, Alex finally met the group but she was heaving so hard that Ana thought the girl would cough up a lung. She began blubbering, trying to talk through her labored breaths, but nothing coherent was coming out.

"I'm going to take her to the stands," Calista told Ana as she wrapped her hand around Alex's arm, dragging the gasping girl away from the Weasleys.

When she turned back, the boy's faces were redder than they usually were and she wondered if it was from the cold or their embarrassment. Charlie was putting them in their place without even having to try that hard.

"Let's get to the stands. Yeah, boys?" Charlie began squeezing their shoulders which made the boys twist in even more pain. All the while Charlie was grinning charmingly at the young girl. The twins squatted in order to escape their brother's vice grip which made Ana chuckle.

"Okay, fine. Merlin, Charlie you didn't have to grab our shoulders like a damn snitch!" Fred hollered at his brother while George laughed at them. George conceded and began to follow his older brother who had begun walking closer to the pitch and away from Ana.

"Ya coming, Freddie boy?" Charlie nagged, quirking an eyebrow which had a scar that ran through it. Ana wondered if he got the scar from being tough and wild like the boys or clumsy like her.

"I'll be right there," Fred replied, not looking as smug as he did before. The older Weasley and his twin turned and left the two of them alone. He brought his full attention back to Ana who was cradling herself in her own arms, trying to preserve as much heat as possible. The boy's face quickly turned serious as he peered down at her, "How are you feeling?"

Ana's eyes widened at the quick change in tone.

"I'm cold," she hoped that would be a good enough answer.

"No," he took in a deep breath. "You know what I mean, Malfoy."

Fred was not joking anymore. He was waiting patiently for her answer with a gentle curiosity. It wasn't off putting, she just wasn't sure why he was so concerned.

"How much of that night did you see?" Ana mumbled quietly, taking a few glances to make sure no one was watching them.

His eyes suddenly turned from a warm honey shade to almost looking black, "I saw enough to know that your head and shoulders are probably killing you, right about now."

She looked down at the ground. The idea of him seeing her in such a situation didn't sit well with her. Being roughed up was not new to her, but Ana found herself hating the sorry looks everyone gave her when she injured or hurt at school. She wasn't used to receiving pity, "Well, I feel perfectly fine."

Fred scoffed at the shivering girl, "Yeah, okay. You feel perfectly fine? Even after what Trelawney said to you?"

The boy's laugh wasn't meant to mock her. But he knew that any person who was slammed into a wall and screamed at by a nearly demonic teacher would not be feeling the best. She may be hard to read, but she wasn't impossible.

But the more Fred pushed her, Ana's heart sank further and further, "Oh, fantastic. You heard that, too." She chuckled dryly as her teeth started to chatter a bit as she hopped up and down.

"Yeah, I heard that," Fred confirmed. "But I'm sure she was just put in a trance or something. Charlie has said that she often blurts out random stuff all the time."

She offered him a weak smile, but Fred could tell that she was unnerved by the whole thing. He also couldn't stand that she looked like she was about to freeze on the spot, so he ripped off his mittens and offered them to the girl.

Before she could hide it behind her trembling hands, Ana's face broke out in a tiny smile. If Fred wasn't looking so hard he would have definitely missed it. But he saw it. Clear as day.

"Take them, blondie," he ordered, as he waved them in front of her, like a steak to a dog. "C'mon snake, take the mittens"

"Alright! Alright, fine," Ana blurted out as she took the offering and covered her frigid hands.

Fred nodded approvingly, "See? There's no need to be difficult."

"Oh, says the most difficult person I know." Ana scoffed.

"You know you could just say thank you and be on your way." The boy crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for the girl to come back at him with some snide comment like the smart aleck she was.

"I could," she giggled as she rubbed her newly clothed hands together.

Fred turned from the girl with a smirk as he followed the direction his brothers went. Godric, she was so stubborn, but it wasn't something that he entirely hated.

"Fred!" She called after the redhead.

He whipped his head back so fast at the sound of her voice, his body was half out the door.

"Thank you," Ana dipped her head as she waltzed past the boy and began heading where Calista and Alex went. Fred smiled as he watched Ana walk away from him; his hands were cold, but he couldn't care less.

"You're welcome, Bibi," he whispered when she was out of his sight.

~

"LUCIAN! LUCIAN! LUCIAN!" The three girls were all sitting in the stands cheering on their favorite beater, who kept his focus on the game. That was what he was supposed to do, but it hurt the girls to know that he wouldn't even look at them.

"I ran around the whole bloody castle!" Alex wailed over the sound of the heavy winds, "A whole hour, I ran trying to find him! He just disappeared."

The three girls were cuddling together underneath a blanket Alex brought to the game, which Ana was incredibly grateful for. Why Alex didn't think about bringing one was beyond her. Ana thought it was cold before when she was standing outside the pitch, but being outside and against the winds was a whole other story. The rain mixed with the frosty winds made her hair turn into little icicles; if she were to bend her locks she'd predict they'd chip off.

"Flint is racing towards the Ravenclaw goal and," Lee paused as the play was going on before him. "And Slytherin makes the point! That brings the score to 110 to 80."

Despite Lucian being in a horrible mood, he was zooming across the stadium like nothing ever happened. Ana hoped that his good performance wasn't because of his anger, because she didn't want to see him upset like that again.

Every twist and dip Lucian made on his broom made Alex holler in support. At one point Lucian did look over, and his scowl softened a bit. Ana tried her hardest to focus, but the heavy snow and winds made her want to dip her head in the blanket and burrow away. When she looked up she saw Fred and George from across the pitch. The two boys waved their hands tauntingly, showcasing how one of them was without their mittens. Ana's face heated up and she tore her focus away from them and back to the game.

After a grueling three hours in the snow and the wind, Slytherin defeated the Ravenclaw team 260 to 130, securing their place in the finals. Even though Slytherin won, the boy who stood in for the injured keeper proved himself to be a pretty good player. It was amazing how well he stayed on his broom even with the harsh weather. And because of that, before the teams got off the pitch, Lucian gave the boy a handshake, giving him the respect he deserved.


	9. Merry Christmas

Ana, Alex, and Calista were waiting eagerly outside Slytherin's changing rooms, bouncing on their heels as the huddled together under the large blanket. Their house had erupted in wails and cries of excitement over the fact that they were guaranteed a place in the finals, but the only question that remained was who they would play at the end of the year. Gryffindor house was exceptionally upset with their victory; they booed louder than the rest and practically heckled the Slytherin team as they were leaving the pitch. But no amount of boos or swears were able to dull down their .

"Flint's brain is going to explode after this win, the power trip is going to make him insufferable," Alex joked as she shook against her friends. It was true. Flint was the most annoying player on the team, but he was a good at what he did. And unfortunately this win was only going to boost his ego. That was the only downfall of this win in Ana's eyes. She let go of any negative feelings she had, because all that mattered was Lucian won the game.

After a few minutes, Lucian meandered out of the changing rooms, and with a lazy smile he opened his arms wide for his friends. The disappointment he felt earlier was gone. Alex and Calista ran into his arms and squealed in happiness as he squeezed them tightly into him, and Ana's eyes twinkled at the sight of all of her favorite people in a huddle. She imagined she'd be warm if she joined in the group hug, but decided against it.

"We knew you could do it," Ana hummed warmly, rubbing her mitten-covered hands together. After this morning, Lucian deserved to have his moment. He looked past his sister and beamed at the girl, silently thanking her for always believing in him.

"Sorry, I got a bit carried away," he lamented with a guilty smile. That was the smile that belonged on his face, not the saddened expression he had earlier.

Calista looked up at the boy with remorse, "It's okay, Lucian. I could've been nicer about it all, anyways." The girl chuckled at him while Lucian broke away from the two girls to hug Ana.

"No, no, no," she held out her mitten-covered-hand out to keep him away. He had changed his clothes but he was still sweaty and frozen to the bone. "You look a mess, Lucian. Besides, I want to get inside, it is freezing," Ana turned away and motioned for them to follow her into the warm castle. They followed her without protesting, excited to get some food and relax in front of the warm fire in the Slytherin common room.

~

The rest of the term finished rather quickly. After the win by Slytherin, the entirety of the school glared at them; no other house particularly liked to see Slytherin win so much. It wasn't surprising to walk around the castle and getting hissed at by some Ravenclaws since they had lost, but Ana found it incredibly funny. She didn't understand how that was supposed to insult her or if that was even their goal, but she would just roll her eyes at the jib and went about her days.

Ana, the girls, Lucian and Derrick all spent most of their time religiously studying when they weren't in class. Calista was tutoring Alex in charms while Lucian slouched in his seat, his head ducked into his ancient runes book while Derrick aggressively tried to explain the material. Ana was struggling in history of magic and unfortunately, despite the countless hours of trying to memorize the all the important dates of wizard history, it just wasn't good enough to improve her grades.

She had never experienced a more dreadful class than history; every single lesson she found herself falling asleep. Aeron would fall asleep, and Alex would fall asleep if it wasn't for Calista keeping her awake every time her head dipped down. After a rather long history class, her professor addressed her for the very first time. And she knew it couldn't be for anything good.

"Ms. Malfoy," Professor Binns floated towards her, his ghost form sticking out among the living, "Can you figure why I may have to speak with you?"

She knew. Of course she knew. Ana was incredibly aware of how history wasn't her strong suit. Herbology, potions, and charms were all incredibly practical magic, it was hands on. Transfiguration had to do with visualization which she could do fairly easily, but Merlin, she couldn't even stay awake in his class. But to her defense, no one could stay awake; it was exhausting to listen to a ghost moan on and on about things that happened hundreds of years ago.

"You just barely passed you latest exam, Ms. Malfoy," his see-through body hovered before her with a disappointed frown; it was harder to catch but Ana could still make it out. "I'm afraid I'll need you to get a tutor if you want a chance at passing next term."

Ana held in a huff of frustration. She found it uncomfortable to make prolonged eye contact with a ghost but she tried her best, "Professor, I'm sure I can progress without needing a tutor."

He flailed his airy arms in front of her, physically calling for her silence, "Your tutor has already been appointed, Ms. Malfoy. You will be meeting with them after break, no exceptions. Happy holidays," he ended with a curt nod before he drifted away from the girl, passing through the wall and into his office.

That kind of news was not a way to make her holidays happy, she chided in her head. Her holidays were now going to be filled with worrying over the prospect of having to be tutored by a totally random stranger. Whoever was passing that class, did well enough to agree to tutor someone clearly liked to suffer. Ana couldn't imagine spending more time dedicated to that class than was necessary. She picked up her books with a quiet fury and left the room without a second glance.

~

Their compartment on the train was full of excitement; it was Alex's birthday so the girls and her brother stole heaps of deserts from the Great Hall, doing their best to prepare her a little winter picnic in the train. They were gorging themselves in cookies and brownies, giving her twelve chocolate frogs for twelve years, which was a tradition Lucian kept up since they were little. He conjured balloons from his wand and Calista and Ana sang obnoxiously and terribly off key. Derrick eventually joined the group as well when he caught sight of all the treats and he too sang a terrible rendition of "Happy Birthday" to the girl. Alex rolled her eyes at the attention, but she couldn't stop smiling at everything they had done for her. People often forgot her birthday since it was so close to the holidays, so Alex reveled in the moment while eating half her weight in chocolate.

When they finally reached King's Cross Station, Ana wished her friends a good holiday. The idea of going without Alex's fieriness or Calista's muggle born antics for two weeks made the immature part of her want to pout. She was going to miss the girls and Lucian the most, but she was missing her family terribly.

Ana would hug them goodbye, but her hands were full with a tiny seedling that Professor Sprout gave her to take care of during the break and she didn't want to crush it. They left with little waves and Ana's eyes wandered the platform as she waited for someone to pick her up. It was fun to see most of the student body dodging each other as they searched for their families and exchanged long overdue hugs. Ana was focused on an older Hufflepuff girl who had lavender hair who was hugging her parents when a slew of redheads caught her eye.

A larger joyous woman enveloped the twins in a massive hug, each one of them tucked under her arms as she squeezed with every bit of energy she could manage. The boys scrunched their freckly noses at her in mock disgust which made Ana giggle to herself. Charlie gave the woman a kiss on the cheek as she hugged Percy's middle. Behind the woman was a smaller boy who had the roundest little face she'd ever seen and a girl who bounded around them all, poking the twins' ribcages. It was so cute to see such an excited reunion and Ana's face glowed at the sight. While she was focused on the group, mostly the little girl and the twins play fighting, she didn't notice the presence that sauntered beside her.

"Hello, Bibiana," her own mother greeted formally, which made the girl flinch a tiny bit. She hadn't even noticed her mother arrived. With a final glance at the Weasley family, Ana followed her quiet mother to the Leaky Cauldron. The two of them had allowance from the Ministry to use the pub's fireplace to floo back to the Manor.

And as soon as she plopped back into her massive house, Draco was in her face, smiling wider than ever and jumping up and down. She hardly got her chance to put down her luggage before he began bombarding her with questions about the castle and the classes. Ana knew that Draco would talk her ear off, but that's what she missed the most about him. He also had approximately five months of solitude to work off, so she walked with him to her room and began answering every question he had.

"You guys won the game? And you're friends with the team?" He marveled as she began telling him stories of the first few months at Hogwarts as they sat on her bed. She nodded and his eyes glowed. "I can't wait to join the team one day. And you could play and we'll be on the same team!"

"I'd like that, Draco," Ana agreed happily and his smile was so wide that his cheeks made his gray eyes squish closed. He began bouncing gently as he sat on her bed which made the whole room slightly rock. But the idea of playing on the Slytherin team together made her equally as excited. She missed flying around with him during the nicer summer nights. Draco always insisted on racing and Ana would give in pretty much every time he asked. "You know what I'd also like?"

He shook his head, his big gray eyes looking puzzled but interested.

"I'd like to make some brownies," Ana laughed when he sat right up at the sound of his favorite dessert.

"With sprinkles?" Draco asked as he gripped her white bed spread in a tiny fist. She shrugged her shoulders with a knowing smirk and the boy jumped off the bed and ran out the door before Ana even she even got the chance to stand up.

For the next hour, the two of them were making brownies; Ana was making them while Draco sat by and adamantly licked every bit of the leftover batter off the spoon. Draco was just happy to have his sister back with him. He was stuck in the lavish walls feeling empty and bored beyond belief. No one was around to laugh at his silly faces and he found flying around on his broom wasn't the same without having Ana there for him to annoy. He'd never admit it, but more than once he fell asleep with tears in his eyes, counting the days until she'd come home again.

"Okay, bud, it's your time to shine," Ana said as she handed him some golden sparkly sprinkles, which he happily dumped onto the fudge brownies. She giggled when he spilt them all over the counter and he snickered with a toothy grin.

"Making a mess are we, Draco?" A chilling voice grumbled lowly. Ana's heartbeat immediately quickened at the sound of that man and she did her best to breathe evenly despite feeling the need to stand impossibly still.

Her father waltzed further into the kitchen, staring emotionlessly at his youngest child, effectively wiping the smile of Draco's face. Upon his arrival, Ana's posture straightened so she stood taller and she waited with bated breath the closer he got to her. When he stopped directly in front of her, he glared down at the young girl, monitoring her actions.

"I heard you were sorted into Slytherin," he revealed in a low, even tone. This thin lips twisted into a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"I did," Ana replied coldly, her expression as blank as her father's eyes.

The tall man loomed over her, dipping his head and raised an eyebrow, "I'd accept nothing less, Bibiana." He turned from her slowly and strutted away from the two kids, his robes trailing behind him. "Dobby! Clean up that mess."

"Father, we can clea-"

"Draco," he interrupted with a sharp snarl, his face grew into a disgusted grimace which made Ana's skin crawl. "I said that Dobby will clean it up."

With a final stare, he left the room and their house elf popped into the room. Dobby wiped his tiny knobby hands on his dirty smock and offered Ana a tender smile. After greeting her quickly, he stood on the counter and began wiping down the granite counters, obeying the command of his master.

"Sorry, Dobby," Draco whispered as he walked out of the kitchen, leaving Ana alone with the unfinished brownies and their melancholic house elf. Without a word, she began cleaning up beside him which made Dobby smile if for only a second. Ana knew if her father saw her doing this, he would throw a fit, but the tiny act of rebellion made her feel better given it would give Dobby some company.

The rest of the holiday break continued similarly; Ana and Draco would spend the days with each other, whether they were baking or talking about Hogwarts. They were always together and Draco refused to leave her as long as they were awake. He would even sit behind her as she tended to the seedling Professor Sprout gave her. It bored Draco to the point that he would fall asleep on her bed, but neither of them minded. It was just nice to be around each other again. Sometimes their mother would join them and talk about her time at Hogwarts, but as soon as their father came home from work, the air became thicker, making it harder to breathe.

Christmas day came and went just like any other. During the early hours Ana and Draco hung around the manor and played a mighty game of hide and seek. It was the perfect pastime since every corner of the manor was incredibly dark and filled with many empty corridors and staircases. Ana always opted to seek since small dark spaces weren't her favorite, but Draco didn't mind. He liked the adrenaline that came whenever he heard her approaching steps anyways. They would never play the game when their father was around, but even on the holiday, he was cooped up at the Ministry doing something seemingly important. But Ana and Draco were having too much fun to care, they had each other.

However, Christmas dinner was filled with an unreasonable amount of silence, the only sound coming from the clanking of silverware or the crinkle of the candle that was lit at the center of them all. Ana peered at her family, all gathered around the large mahogany table; it was comically big considering there were only four of them seated and the dim lighting reminded her of the Slytherin common room. This wasn't nearly as fun as spending time with her friends in the Hogwarts dungeons.

Dinners were typically quiet in the Malfoy Manor, but Ana was beginning to miss the festive decorations of the Great Hall and the ghosts caroling on the grounds. Her mind went back to Calista, Alex and Lucian and wondered how their holidays were going. The Boles were probably cooking up a storm or playing wizards chess while Calista and her parents had a less magical but equally as fun time. Hopefully they were having a more exciting Christmas day than she was.

Once everyone had finished their meal, their father sat back at the head of the table and glared while Dobby cleared the dirty dishes, balancing the plates on his tiny arms. She would've offered to help, but whenever she did, things never ended well for her. Draco sat across from her and twirled his spoon in his hands before Dobby was instructed to take it away from the boy.

Their mother left them momentarily, only to return with two tiny boxes wrapped in green Christmas paper. It was the most color within the whole manor and Ana smiled at her mum's effort at making their holiday special. Draco's face broke out into a tiny smile, his excitement clearly visible on his face no matter how hard he tried to keep a straight face. He ripped his present open to find a little golden snitch.

"That's so you can practice while Ana is away. I know you want to be a seeker," their mother watched Draco, hoping the boy would like it.

Draco picked up the ball and the wings on the small sphere poked out and began whirling around the room. It hovered above the boy's head, sending tiny gusts of wind to his blonde locks. Ana and her mother watched blissfully as Draco jumped up excitedly as he tried grabbing the tiny ball. He father sat with an annoyed look, but Ana wasn't going to focus on him as she eyed her own present. After ripping away at the wrapping delicately, she opened a box to reveal a silver and emerald bracelet with a snake charm on it. It was beautiful and Ana immediately put it on, the gems shining as they reflected the light from the candle.

"Thank you, mum," Ana hummed in response, her blue eyes glowing with appreciation. Their family was never big on giving presents, but when she did receive any they meant the absolute world. Pleased with her children's reactions to the presents, their mother rose from her seat and planted gentle kisses to the tops of both of their heads. Ana found the display adorable and a bit out of character for her mother who would usually keep to herself, but she found her tense body began to relax under her mum's affection.

But that calm was disturbed as the sound of her father's chair dragged across the stone floor. He stood up proudly and gave his family a curt nod before leaving his position from the head of the table. Ana naively anticipated that he would join them, but instead he leaned over the table. And with a deep huff the candle that lit up the dinner table was gone and the scene turned dark and cold. Dinner was over.


	10. An Unlikely Match

After being away for months, Ana wanted to spend every moment she could with Draco. For the rest of the break, the two of them were chasing after the golden snitch that he got as his gift from their mother. Draco caught it every time, no matter how hard Ana tried to get it. She pleaded for Draco to come along with her when she was going back to King's Cross Station, but the idea of him having to say goodbye again was almost too much for him. He was upset until she told him that the next time he'd be at the station, they would be going to Hogwarts together, and that was enough for the boy to give in. If Ana thought leaving Draco behind was hard before, having to leave him to his lonesome in that big house for a second time made her stomach hurt.

But being away from Draco wasn't the only thing Ana was dreading. She knew that the twins' mercy had expired and she assumed that they would've pranked her as soon as she stepped foot in the castle. They were probably putting something elaborate for her given it had been so long since their last prank, she figured. The thought of having to bear another cake explosion or something similar did not seem exciting in the slightest.

Yet her biggest grievance was that because of her poor attention span in history of magic, Professor Binns was going to be introducing to her tutor her next class. It was at the end of the day, which meant that paying attention to any of her other classes or listening to her friends during meals was an impossible task. She felt bad for not being there for them, but her mind was reeling with anticipation.

Her leg was bouncing in worry which earned her a few annoyed glances from the Hufflepuff beside her. But she couldn't stop. Her body had to expunge some energy before she exploded and this was the only way she could do so while sitting in the most boring class of wizard kind. The class went by agonizingly slow, the professor mumbling about an old rebellion that took place years ago that no one even talked about even more. Needless to say, Ana was not entertained.

Time stood entirely still, up until the point when the ghost dismissed the class, and she tried her hardest to keep out of his sight and sneak out of the room. She figured she could duck down, roll out the door and pop back up like all those spy movies Calista had told her so much about. But that fantasy was pointless as the professor phased through the other students and made a beeline towards her.

"Not so fast, Ms. Malfoy," he groaned tiredly. "You know what time it is."

Oh, she knew. That's why she tried to sneak away, she thought. Her head dipped in defeat as he showed her to his office. Her feet felt like they were weighed down with bricks as she trudged after the ghost. After ascending a few stairs, she stepped into a simple, dusty office to see someone already seated in front of the professor's large desk.

"Ana, meet your tutor."

Her nervousness quickly drained and was replaced with aggravation as she looked into the face of the person who was supposed to help her. This was it. This was the worst case scenario.

~

"Your tutor is Wright?" Alex howled, all the girls were sitting in the common room discussing Ana's situation.

Ana eyes popped at how loud the girl yelled his name. Sure he wasn't very popular among the Slytherins, mainly because he didn't talk to many people, but Ana wouldn't want any eavesdroppers to be listening in to them right now. From what she could tell, every other student was minding their business, but Ana didn't want to take any chances.

"Yes," Ana sighed lowly, "and apparently Aeron is the best student in his class. How that happened I have no idea." Even saying his name out loud felt like a curse and it felt wrong on her tongue, like an acid pop that was so sour that it burnt a hole through it. She made a mental note to stick to referring him by his last name; maybe she could convince herself that it wasn't really him if she refused to say his name.

Ana was laying down on the long suede couch that faced the fireplace with her head in Calista's lap. The girl played with Ana's silver hair, brushing through the long locks gently. The position reminded her of when her mother used to play with her hair, and the memory made her smile tiredly.

"I mean, if there's going to be anyone who knows a lot about wizard history it makes sense for a Pureblood to know a lot about it," Alex guessed. "I'm surprised you're having so much trouble with it."

Ana whined "It's cause I can't stay awake for the life of me. How come the professor can be dead but I can't be asleep? Sounds pretty unfair to me."

Alex snorted from her seat on the ground, her back to the couch the other two were sitting on. She was reading a copy of some magazine that Ana had never seen before. It was called The Quibbler which Ana thought was a strange name for a paper. "Well what are you going to do?"

"Don't suppose I can just cheat the rest of the time can I?" Ana sighed in defeat.

"Sure you can, but you'll bomb the final once that comes around."

She hated that Calista was right. Cheating would help in the moment, but when it came to proving herself with the final exam, she knew she would just end up failing. It pained every part of her to know that she was going to be spending the unforeseeable future with the boy. And that he was her best option.

The slamming of the common room doors startled the girls, and coming down from the large staircase was the boy in question. When she laid eyes on him strutting down the stairs, Ana sat up and adjusted her posture quickly. She could hardly remember why all the girls started disliking the boy, but as soon as she caught his expression it all came rushing back. He was walking with his head high like he owned everything in sight as he sneered and made his way to the girls.

"I need to talk to you, Malfoy," his face was pointed and Ana figured she should make this quick, like ripping off a bandage from an open wound. She got off the couch and gave the girls a sad glance while she met the boy at a table that was situated away from everyone else.

"What do you need, Wright?" she snapped while crossing her arms. He chuckled in response.

"No need to be snappy, Malfoy. Just wanted to ask when you were available to study," his voice softened a bit. "Professor Binns said you were really struggling."

The boy's face was kind and curious as he waited for her to answer. He wasn't making any quick snips or making her feel uncomfortable, which was surprising to her. She took a deep breath and figured she should be honest with him, he was doing her a favor after all.

"I am struggling," she revealed with a sigh.

"That's okay. I can help with that. History is my strongest subject."

"Yeah, how is that?" Ana decided to play along with his strangely upbeat mood.

"Pick a day and time for studying and you can ask me all the questions you want," he replied with a yawn. It was their first week back and getting back into the rhythm of their routine was also tiresome to everyone. She noticed how his dark under eyes seemed swollen with exhaustion and figured he was having a hard time adjusting too.

After going back and forth, the two came to an agreement about when they would make the time to study. She wasn't looking forward to being tutored, but in the long run it was what she needed. And for some reason she believed Aeron when he said he would be able to help.

~

Time's up, blondie. Do your worst.

Gred & Forge

"Well that was nice while it lasted," Ana laughed as she flung the boys' note onto the Slytherin table during dinner one night in late January. She knew the twins were going to be back to their old ways but they didn't even give her much time to wind down from the holidays. They were awfully impatient. But she never figured they were the waiting type.

"You're not going to prank them back are you?" Calista asked worriedly.

"No! Definitely not," Ana laughed as she munched on her dessert. "I'll let them think I'm planning my attack meanwhile I'm buying myself more time before they eventually catch on and prank me anyways."

The group gushed over their holidays and Alex's eyes glowed whenever Calista talked about all the muggle traditions she and her parents did. Her favorite was the making of little houses out of gingerbread. Ana knew that would never happen at the Manor, but she found the idea of Draco making a tiny house with food adorable. Somehow she'd have to make that happen next year.

They continued their meal excitedly until Aeron walked up to the group, looking like his normal serious self. Immediately, all the fun chatter and jokes stopped and Ana looked up at the boy who was holding a history of magic textbook. He asked her if she was ready to go as he braced the stares from her and her friends. She wasn't, but she was going to honor their agreement no matter how painful he or the class was.

If actual class wasn't torturous enough, sitting in the library for two hours while Aeron went over everything Professor Binns instructed him to review proved to be even worse. Ana still found herself unable to focus. For the first time she felt bad for Aeron, because she didn't want to waste either of their time. But her eyes would drift to the other people in the library, finding them far more interesting to observe.

"Okay, clearly this isn't working," Aeron huffed as he slumped back in his seat. "Have you remembered a single thing I've said?"

"No," she sighed and he threw his head back in frustration. "Look, I'm sorry. It's just that I'm getting distracted."

Aeron rolled his eyes at her and it only made Ana feel worse. She wasn't trying to go out of her way to be horrible; it just turned out that history was atrocious no matter who taught it. Her hands defaulted to playing with her hair, just to ignore his harshness.

"Distracted by what?" his voice was growing frustrated. "We're in the library, the quietest place in the castle. What could be distracting you?"

Ana's cheeks began to heat up, she felt embarrassed for not being able to keep up her end of the bargain. He was helping her and asking for nothing in return, just for her to pay attention.

"I don't know. Maybe a change in location could help me," Ana wondered, tapping the top of the library table with the ends of her hair like a paintbrush.

"Like what? Where would you like to go?"

He stared at the girl, half expecting her to just walk out of the library and call everything off. Aeron began to think that agreeing to this was a mistake, he should just let the girl fail on her own terms. He wasn't expecting her to be a star pupil, but he at least expected her to be a participating one. She wasn't known to be a bad student, she was actually one of the best students of their years from what others of said. So why she was doing so poorly right now was beyond him.

But Ana was not going to let him down. She was going to make this arrangement work.

"I know just the place," Ana said excitedly, as she launched out of her seat and nearly skipped out of the crowded library. He looked at her with a pained face, she was making this far more difficult than it had to be. And yet, he knew that he was going to follow her wherever she would run.

He refused to run throughout the halls, but he kept up with the girl as she weaved and rounded the corridors of the castle, nearly knocking herself over. She had a smile on her face, which he wasn't used to seeing when he was around. He didn't hate it, but Godric, he just wanted to help her study and be on his way.

Aeron trailed behind her as she led him to the Astronomy Tower where she came to a halt. The snow was softly falling and it covered the landscape of the grounds like a fluffy blanket. Her features softened as she stared out into the sky that was slowly growing darker as the sun began to set. She sat down with her back to the view, nightfall was on the horizon.

"You come here often don't you?" Aeron asked with a raised brow. He took his spot across from her and opened his textbook again. He had to admit, it was far quieter and less busy than the library. Maybe she was onto something.

"I come here sometimes when I can't sleep," she admitted as she sat with her legs crisscrossed and more relaxed than he'd ever seen her.

"And how often can't you sleep?"

Ana never figured Aeron would ask so many questions about herself, but she didn't want to ruin the situation in anyway. This was the longest they had gone without making a snide comment or rolling their eyes at one another, "I have nightmares a lot of the time and it keeps me up."

"What's the nightmare about?" He stared at her a bit of kindness which made her smile. Despite the boy being nice to her, she wasn't sure what the nightmare meant herself. That wasn't something she wanted to dive into with someone she wasn't exactly friends with.

"I'm not quite sure," she shut the question down gently. "But I do know that I will fail this class if I don't get studying."

Aeron smirked and nodded his head at her comment. And for the first time of the night, when Aeron began to go over the last lesson, she was able to close her eyes and absorb some of what the boy was saying. They spent hours together at the top of the tower with him quizzing her and testing her on the material. After every correct answer, she beamed with excitement; her blue eyes would glow despite how dark it was getting outside and Aeron was beginning to enjoy her reactions.

While the two of them spent their time together, a boy was staring at a bit of parchment, wondering why the two were spending so much time in the tower by themselves. He found them being together unnecessary, especially since he noticed how the two would butt heads during meals a lot of the time. It didn't make sense.

"Hey Gred, take a look at the map," George said, as he passed the faded and aged bit of parchment to his brother from his bed. Fred was about to go to sleep, but his sleepy eyes focused quickly when he took a look at the paper. He noticed the two names together and wondered what in the world they would be doing there at this time of night. His ears began to feel warm and they started to match the color of his hair.

"That's quite strange, Forge," Fred agreed with his twin who was watching him, suddenly feeling more awake. After a moment of staring at the paper, his face twisted into a mischievous grin. "Perhaps, we should pay them a visit."

"Tonight?" George whined. He had just gotten settled into bed and his eyes were barely staying awake. "No, not tonight, Fred. Come on."

"You really feel like passing the opportunity, Georgie?" Fred got out of his bed and sat at the edge of George's. He began to furiously tap at the parchment. "This could be the easiest sneak attack of history!"

George rolled his eyes at his brother, of course he wanted to ambush them. Meanwhile, George was only interested in sprawling out on his bed and falling asleep. And so he did just that; he turned away from his older twin and ignored Fred.

But that wasn't going to stop Fred from investigating what the two Slytherins were up to, so he grabbed the pile of parchment and his wand, marching out of the dorm room like he was on a mission. After making sure no one was in the common room, Fred navigated his way through the dark corridors of the castle. His mind wasn't focused on his surroundings though. He was wondering why in the world she was hanging around that bird-looking boy. It wasn't like the two of them got along; Fred had caught sight of them bickering multiple times in the Great Hall and one of Ana's friends always looked ready to fight. So there was no good reason for them to be together at the Astronomy Tower right now.

His hands got clammy as he climbed the winding staircase that led to the lower level of the tower. As he continued to climb, he could hear Ana's voice clear as can be. It had been so long since he'd heard it and a small smile spread across his face. Fred slowly walked along the wooden platform that was situated under the highest point of the tower and it creaked quietly. But his sounds were getting drowned out by the high pitched squeals of excitement Ana made.

She was bouncing up and down cheerfully; Aeron had been quizzing her for an hour and she was finally down to her last question. She just needed to get one more correct.

Aeron smiled as he sat on his knees, getting ready to celebrate if she were to get his final question right. "What year did the Goblin Rebellion start?" His voice was more excited than she'd ever heard it before and even Fred found the boy's tone unfamiliar.

Ana racked her brain for the answer, not wanting to let the boy down after all she put him through that night. "1612?" she answered uncertainly.

Fred took a deep breath when it became clear to him that they were just studying, his shoulders relaxed at the revelation. He didn't know why he was so unnerved by the idea to begin with. They were simply preparing for a test or something silly like that.

"Yes! Yes, Ana!" Aeron yelled proudly as he slammed the textbook closed and jumped to his feet.

For the first time all year, history was beginning to make sense to her and she hated to admit it, but she would still be struggling if it weren't for Aeron. And strangely, she found that he was patient with her even though the tutoring started off pretty rocky. Maybe studying with him wouldn't be as disastrous as she imagined it would be.

Ana got to her feet and laughed excitedly, matching the boy's energy; it was a moment to celebrate for the both of them. But when Aeron went in to give her a congratulatory hug, Ana jumped back and shielded herself off with her arms. Aeron chuckled as he turned away from her to collect their textbooks, not noticing how she guarded herself. But Ana's face flipped from joyful to distant, which didn't go unnoticed by the red head that was situated beneath the two Slytherins. Fred remembered how she flinched when he went to tap her arm on the train, and she repeated that same action today with Aeron. At first, Fred thought that he just startled her that day, but now he was wondering if she was always so jumpy.

But he couldn't dwell on it too long, because the sound of their pattering footsteps grew closer to him. He hardly had enough time to duck behind a pillar before they descended the iron staircase and passed right by the boy. The two of them were chatting about when they'd meet next and Fred grimaced at the thought of them becoming friends. Something about Aeron didn't sit well with Fred, and the boy knew that he would be keeping a close eye on his map. He wasn't going to miss out on their next meeting.


	11. Sweet Dreams

"So you've finished Charms of Defence and Deterrence already Ms. Malfoy?" the potions master inquired skeptically. Ana had asked to meet him again after class which made the older man sneer at the first year, but even he was interested in what she had to say.

The young girl took it upon herself to sit at his desk as she waited for him to join her. Snape marveled at how persistent she was; she was definitely a Malfoy, he believed. Her unnerving ability to turn on and off her emotions was astounding, maybe even a little eerie. It took a great deal of control to do that, and he could only imagine that kind of conditioning came from being Lucius's daughter.

"I did," she dropped the book, effectively knocking Snape out of his train of thought, and slid it across his solid wooden desk to him. A satisfied look graced her face.

He looked at her like he couldn't believe a girl her age would've wanted to read that book, let alone finish it entirely and so quickly. Snape couldn't remember the last time her had a student who was so insistent on reading extra material. But when he looked at the young girl, he only saw someone who wanted to learn. It was a trait he could appreciate and would do his best to facilitate.

"Alright. I said that when you finished that book, you could get one on potions," he turned to face his large bookcase and his pointy finger traced the spines of various publications he had. He was looking for one in particular when Ana cleared her throat.

"Actually Professor, I was wondering if you could give me another book about defense against the dark arts," she looked at him patiently and with an unreadable expression.

The way she looked was strange to Professor Snape; it was so formal for an eleven year old girl. Ana sat up so impossibly straight and with her chin high, like she was the Minister for Magic. She held herself with such pride and superiority that was unusual for someone her age. But he knew the name Malfoy. He's spent time with the Malfoys and he could only assume that her stance was a side effect of her father's need for perfecting appearances. She was the absolute spitting image of her father. Big blue eyes and long silver hair; although her chin wasn't as pointy as the rest of them, he remembered. Perhaps that would come with age.

"I think it would be foolish of me to deny you the chance of learning more about the dark arts," Snape said lowly. "However, I feel like your skills in Herbology would serve as a good stepping stone for mastering potions. You do like potions, do you not?"

The man sat across from her, looking kinder than he typically did, which essentially meant that he wasn't scowling at her. But she couldn't deny that he was right, and she did enjoy spending time with Professor Sprout. The greenhouses and the gentle woman reminded her of home, the only thing missing was her little brother running laps around her. She thought about what he said and nodded her head, quietly waiting for his next move.

"You should recognize this one from last time," he pulled out Moste Pontente Potions, the potions book from their latest meeting. "It's a nice mix of both defense and potions. My favorite kind of magic to practice."

He passed her the book, analyzing the young girl's expression, despite her remaining emotionless like she always did. "This is the same book that is in the restricted section?" she asked curiously, surveying just how worn out it was. Ana found it strange for a professor to be giving a first year a book that the rest of the students weren't allowed to read. Her stare intensified at the man as she tried to understand his intentions.

"It is. And I am letting you read it because I believe you have the proper background to handle the contents of this book," he said matter-of-factly. "You're allowed to refuse my suggestion, Ms. Malfoy if you feel so inclined."

It was just mixture of defense and potions; neither of them sounding sinister, but the way he was referring to the book made it seem like it was cursed. Knowing him, he very well could've placed a nasty hex on it, though Ana decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps it was just far too valuable for the rest of the students. Ana didn't think that highly of herself, but if Professor Snape did, she wouldn't try to prove him otherwise.

"No, professor. I would like to read this book," she offered a small smile. "I think I would like to make potions myself one day."

He smirked at her as warmly as he could muster, "Perhaps, next year, if you show me that you are responsible enough then I can teach you how to brew your own medicine, Ms. Malfoy. I would love for you to take the chore of my hands."

She peered at the man with judgmental eyes and crossed her arms at his attitude. Ana knew the professor secretly loved that a student was giving him attention instead of ignoring him. He didn't get a lot of visitors. Either way, she chuckled at his admission and rolled her eyes; it was within his nature to pretend to be a cold rude man. But Ana could tell that he was cracking, more and more every time she saw him. She decided to let it slide because the idea of being able to brew advanced potions like her mother did begin to excite her. Maybe it would even make her father proud.

"I would like that, sir."

~

Don't even think about saying a word, Ana reminded herself as she cradled her knees into her chest, trying to make herself impossibly tiny. Perhaps if she folded herself so small she'd just disappear. But everything would be okay. It had to be. Soon enough, she would be able to leave the hiding spot of the closet and go about her normal routine. She'd go and pick flowers in the garden or make cookies with mum. Whatever scary thing was happening outside the door would disappear and then this would all be over. Ana was so sure of it, and yet a tear still escaped from the corner of her eye, trickling its way over her dirty cheek. It would all be over soon. It had to be.

And then everything went dark.

Ana's heart was pumping five times faster than it had to and she let out a scream as her body finally allowed her to escape her terrible nightmare. Catching her breath proved to be an impossible task and every time she gasped for air, it felt like someone was squeezing and trampling on her lungs just for the fun of it. Before she could focus on anything that was going on around her, Alex and Calista rushed over to the girl, both panic stricken and worried.

"Ana are you okay?" Alex nearly yelled at the poor girl as she jumped on her bed, nearly landing on her friend. Ana wondered if Alex ever knew just how aggressive she was considering it was the middle of the night. Meanwhile, Calista stood beside her, accessing the situation carefully, as she began to brush Ana's hair back and out of her face. Ana really hoped she wasn't sweaty, because the idea of Calista running her hands over her clammy head wouldn't make her feel much better.

The lake was as murky as ever, not a creature could be seen within the smoky water. It wasn't even morning and Ana hated that she woke up the two girls with her screaming. But Ana's head was pounding, just like it did when she was in her nightmare, only this time she wasn't going to escape this pain. The darkness in the dorms replicated the same darkness of the closet and she hated that she noticed the similarity.

"I'm fine," she stammered, shaking her head dismissively. "I'll be fine. This has happened before."

"Before? What did you dream about? Is it always the same?" Calista asked, brushing the girls long silver hair with her fingers. Ana leaned into the feeling despite being self-conscious over her cold sweats, the motion relaxed her. But the idea of having to explain her dream seemed impossible; she didn't know what it meant. She preferred to expel it from her mind as fast as possible instead of analyzing it. Maybe one day. But not tonight.

"I dream that I'm in a dark closet and that's pretty much it. Why I keep getting it I don't know."

"You don't think Snape is poisoning her, do you?" Alex yelled far too loud for either of the two girls, her eyes glowing from the light by the fireplace. Ana wished for a second the flames would die down so her body could cool down but she appreciated the tiny bit of light it gave her.

"Snape is dark and brooding, Lex. Not a murderer," Calista chuckled quietly.

"It was worth a guess." Alex absentmindedly played with the fluffy blanket that covered Ana, trying to make sense of her friend's night terror. She jumped off her bed and ran to hers for a moment before returning with Calista's stuffed animal. "Here, Calista let me borrow this a few nights ago. I think you might need it more than me."

Alex handed her the small stuffed rabbit and Calista smiled down at her friend, giving her permission to take her stuffie. Ana never had a stuffed animal, her father deemed them unnecessary, but she found the gift sweet. The idea of having something to hold seemed nice. It was soft and fluffy and it smelled a little bit like both of her friends. She could easily see herself falling asleep, knowing they were here with her.

"I don't know about Snape poisoning me, but I would like to figure out a way to stop having these nightmares," Ana sighed, her body temperature began to return to normal, despite the heavy pounding that remained in her chest. "I might have to ask him about it."

"That sounds like a good idea," Calista chirped quietly and bent down to press a kiss to the top of her friend's head. The act made Ana's fear simmer away and her tiredness was slowly returning. The gentle roar of the lake and the crackling of the fire created the perfect song to fall asleep to. Calista noticed the exhaustion in her friend and grabbed Alex by the elbow instructing her to let Ana get back to sleep.

They repeated their 'good nights' and Ana hummed as she held the tiny soft toy to her chest and breathed in the sweet smell of the stuffed animal. She was slowly drifting back to sleep, grateful for her friends who comforted her when she needed it. But she knew that eventually she would have to do something about these reoccurring nightmares. Not only did she want to save her friends the hassle of her screaming in the middle of the night, but she would do anything to get them to stop. Anything.

~

Ana sat down in the greenhouse with an exaggerated huff, her head was pounding after getting an interrupted night's sleep and she could only imagine Alex and Calista felt the same. She was trying hard to focus on the seedling that Professor Sprout gave her over Christmas break; it was finally starting to bud a tiny pink petal. It was a needed distraction from the nightmare that kept replaying in her head. Her parents never had a remedy for her, but maybe one of the many accomplished wizards that walked the halls would have an answer.

"You alright, deary?" Sprout stepped away from the plant she was tending, which was growing in a full set of teeth, to give the girl her full attention. The woman's cheeks glowed a rosy pink, a kind of pink that she'd never be able to find in the dungeons. "Your eyes look a little tired."

Ana would like to lie; she could easily say that she was perfectly fine and that she had just been devoid of sunlight for too long. It wouldn't be the most outrageous excuse. But there was no good reason to lie to her favorite teacher. Professor Sprout had only even been welcoming to her; she wanted to trust her.

"I've been having," she took in a deep breath, taking a moment to consider her words, "I don't sleep so well, Professor. Just can't seem to make it through the night." Perhaps Ana could tell the truth while omitting some details. That wasn't considered lying she convinced herself.

The woman took a seat, her gray brows furrowing with concern as she began taking care of Ana's puny plant, administering a drop of growing potion into the soil. Ana decided that Snape was going to have to show her how to make that potion, or at least give her a book with the steps to do it herself, "Do you know why you can't stay asleep?"

"Stress, maybe," Ana suggested. "History of Magic and tutoring has been worrying me a bit."

That was actually a lie. Since she and Aeron had started studying at the Astronomy Tower, the class had become a breeze. She would use the actual class time as a free period where she worked on other assignments and then she would give Aeron her attention when the time came. Whenever they were outside of the tower, Aeron would keep to himself but when they were studying together he actually seemed happy. He would bound with joy when Ana finally got something correct and she fully believed him when he told her he was proud of her progress.

"I think there is someone you could talk to who can help," Sprout said as she began caring for Ana's plant. It was still winter out, but every time she saw the bit of frost disappear from the peaks of the castle, she reveled in the fact that her plants would be growing better. She couldn't wait for the spring to come.

"Professor Snape?" Ana asked, which made Professor Sprout chuckle beneath her breath. It was surprising to hear such an impolite snicker from her teacher, but Sprout and Snape were definitely polar opposites. The woman gave her a gentle smile as she rubbed at the girl's shoulder.

"No, Ana. Professor Dumbledore."

~

"They're spending hours together, Georgie! Multiple times a week!" Fred yelled as he and George were getting dressed for the Gryffindor game.

"Who cares?" George groaned in annoyance. Fred had been going on and on for the last two weeks about the two Slytherins who were frequently visiting the Astronomy Tower. From what Fred described, all they were doing was studying for history. If it wasn't for Charlie or Percy, the twins would've definitely failed the class too. It made sense for her to need help, so George couldn't understand why Fred was so upset.

Popping out from behind a deep crimson curtain, Charlie snaked in between his two brothers, grinning crookedly at them, "One day you'll understand, George." He had just finished getting dressed into his Quidditch jersey and was strapping on his gloves, clearly having trouble with the tiny buckles.

"And what don't I understand?" George's face twisted in confusion and offence. If there was one person George knew it was Fred. No one understood his brother better than him, even their mum would come in second place if it was a competition. Their connection was not to be questioned, he was just having a bit of trouble trying to understand why Fred gave this girl his attention all the time. They weren't even friends.

Angelina hip checked Fred out of the way since he was blocking her off from the brooms, "Is he still going on the Malfoy thing, Georgie?" She grabbed her broom and made sure her hair was pulled out of her face. If her hair were to come undone during the game it would shave valuable seconds from trying to score against Hufflepuff. That was a mistake that happened her first game, and she wasn't going to have a repeat anytime soon.

"I don't have a Malfoy thing, okay?" Fred glared at her as he tied up his shoes. She rolled her eyes at the boy, but smirked widely when she and Charlie exchanged glances. Both of them knew something that George was not yet picking up on, and the poor oblivious twin watched them in confusion.

"What am I not understanding? Am I blind? What's going on?" George wailed in frustration.

Fred remained silent as he brought his focus to tying his shoes into a double knot, while Charlie and Angelina just shook their heads at the twins' antics. George was about to demand some answers when frazzled looking boy marched into the changing rooms. He was rubbing his hands together as he looked around at his ill prepared teammates. "Charlie, no one is ready! Why is no one ready?"

"Oliver, everything will be fine," Charlie held onto the fourth year's shoulder, trying to calm the boy like he would if it were any of his brothers. "We'll be ready in a second, the game isn't going to start for another fifteen minutes."

Oliver willed himself to smile nodding his head in response, but he still twitched in anticipation while the older Weasley twin giggled quietly at him. The two boys started taking deep breaths together, slowly inhaling and exhaling in tandem. Fred, George, and Angelina joined in, engaging in an amateur meditation session. Once, Oliver stopped short-circuiting, he shuffled outside of the changing rooms with heavy feet.

"Oh that poor boy is going to give himself a heart attack," Charlie lamented to the rest of the group as he clapped his hands together.

"Well, we're playing against Hufflepuff's newest seeker," Angelina concluded. "He completely dominated Ravenclaw when they played so I don't blame Wood for being so antsy."

Charlie nodded in agreement as he finished waxing the handle of his broom. George was about to continue his interrogation from earlier when both his brothers and Angelina walked away from him and towards the pitch. He wasn't going to start asking Fred any questions; all he would get are more complaints about the Slytherins instead of answers. So he figured he would wait, eventually Fred would break down and start saying what he really meant. But until then, they had a game to win.


	12. 18 February 1991

"Happy Birthday Ana!!

I hope you're have a good birthday today! This is the first time we're not together for your birthday, but next year I'll get to be with you. I know we don't do parties but maybe next year we can celebrate in the Slytherin common room! And there could be cake and presents! That would be so fun. Are you going to have a party? If you do, tell me how it goes."

Ana laughed quietly at the letter and she held it low beneath the Slytherin table; birthdays weren't a big deal in the Malfoy house. Her mother's go to way of celebrating was to give her a piece of clothing from Gladrags Wizardwear and letting her tell Dobby what they would eat for dinner that day. It wasn't much, but it was enough and more often than not she'd skip out on the last bit. Ana never liked telling Dobby what to do, her father did that enough. Either way the idea of making a big deal of her own birthday didn't seem like something she wanted to start doing now.

"Mum tried to help me with your gift, but I think I messed up the recipe. Either way, I hope you like our little package. I can't wait to see you this   
summer!

I love you so much.

-Draco :) "

In front of her at the Slytherin table was a little green package that was tied together with a shiny silver ribbon. If it involved a recipe, Ana assumed whatever was inside would be inedible, but she opened it with an excited smile, hoping for the best.

"What do you have there?" Alex was staring at Ana who was fiddling with the silver ribbon, trying to be inconspicuous was not going to work it seemed. She wasn't planning on telling her friends about her birthday, but with Draco's gift they were bound to figure it out.

Lucian picked up the letter that was covered in fancy script before Ana had the chance to pocket the note. His ocean blue eyes scanned the parchment, before dropping it with a deep laugh. "Why didn't you mention it was your birthday?" She had never seen him more offended.

Alex and Calista stared at her with wide eyes, and Ana waited for their inevitable tantrum as she rested her head in her hands.

"It's your birthday!" They shouted excitedly and far too loud for Ana's liking. Both of their voices travelled far across the Great Hall and multiple heads turned in their direction, even a few teachers looked their way. Ana began to nibble on the inside of her cheek, trying her hardest to look composed despite her embarrassment.

She leaned in and replied in a hushed even tone, "Yes, it's my birthday but I don't want to make it a thing."

Her three friends looked at her like she was out of her mind, but Alex tore her gaze away from the girl to begin opening the sweet smelling box. After having torn apart the pretty packaging, which Ana assumed cost more than it should have, Alex revealed to them a box filled with a variety of cookies.

"Yes! Cookies!" Alex cheered as she took it upon herself to take a chocolate chip one.

"Really, Lex?" Lucian judged his little sister as she stuffed a cookie into her mouth, the crumbs falling from her mouth. He pulled the remainder of the cookies away from Alex, "First of all, it's the morning and-"

"And most importantly, it's not your gift." Calista chuckled as she held her hand out in front of Alex's mouth. With a resentful glare, she bit down on the cookie and allowed whatever was left to fall into Calista's hand. She chewed slowly, staring at Calista and Lucian with a hefty amount of distain.

"She can have the cookie," Ana tried her hardest to keep her giggle to herself and Alex tore the remainder of the fudgy cookie out of Calista's hand at lightning speed.

Calista surrendered it to the girl without a fight and Alex inhaled it as soon as she could while Lucian began to repackage the desserts no matter how badly he wanted to steal a cookie for himself.

"Why'd you feel like hiding the fact that it was your birthday?" the older boy asked with a curious smile.

She watched him as he carefully rewrapped the clear film on the cookies and tie it with the discarded ribbon. It was fascinating to her to see a Slytherin beater be so careful as he sorted out her present. He was focused like when he was on the field, except now he wasn't blasting an iron ball towards the skulls of other students but tangling the ribbon in on itself. The two versions of him was incredibly different, but it suited him still.

"Hello?" he chuckled as he waved his hand in front of her face, breaking her from her focus.

Remembering that she should probably respond, Ana stammered, "I wasn't trying to hide my birthday, I just enjoy being a bit discreet about it." She tucked a piece of silver hair behind her ear and tried to compose herself.

"Discreet?" Alex barked as bits of cookie spread all over her lap, which Calista grimaced at. "Why be discreet? It's your birthday."

"Exactly!" Ana agreed as she straightened out her posture, "So let's celebrate it the way I would like. Which is quietly." She placed the box that Lucian had finished wrapping and tucked it next to her on the bench out of view from everyone else.

The three of them stared at her disappointedly, but they decided to respect Ana's wishes. Without protest, they continued to eat their breakfast like nothing was different. Ana didn't like being a downer in the eyes of her friends, but being the center of attention was not on her wish list. She doubted it ever would.

Their meal went on like they usually did; they talked about Quidditch and how Slytherin seemed to be in the lead for house points. Ana smiled a bit at that knowledge, knowing that Professor Sprout or Madam Pomfrey would sometimes award Slytherin a handful of points whenever she helped them out with an errand. They didn't seem like much, but the five points every other week or so added up.

Ana was happy about the change in topic, she was finally able to take her mind off of the day. That was until a hoard of paper birds started attacking the four of them from all sides. Calista ducked under the table while Alex began to whack at them with a book. Ana didn't have much time to think before Lucian secured her behind his body, which he was using as a shield for the girl. He had his arms wrapped around her shoulders and covered her head. The paper was stabbing them from every angle; not enough to actually cause pain but paper cuts and poked eyes hurt nonetheless. 

After they finished falling and the whirling of paper stopped buzzing above their heads, Ana realized where she was and she held her breath as a thread of fear trickled down her neck. She pulled away from the boy, who saw her gazing back at him in fear, which he assumed was due to the paper birds. But he would be wrong; the welling in her eyes that she halted by sniffling and wiggling her nose caught him off guard. Her lungs seemed to shrink and no amount of air was enough for her to get a full breath. It was as if someone had sat on her chest and planned on staying there. Before Lucian got the chance to ask her what was wrong, she stood up from the table with wobbly legs and walked hurriedly out of the Great Hall.

"What was that all about?" Alex shrieked harshly as she ripped a paper bird out of her hair. Calista resurfaced from her spot from underneath the table and she patted down her shirt collar. Lucian had a few scrapes against his olive skin, but his focus was trained at the entrance of the Great Hall, where Ana just ran through. And then he looked down beside him to see her present, all alone and entirely forgotten about.

A pair of pale white hands reached over to them and unfolded an intricately wrapped paper birds. The boy observed the writing and read the note out loud to the rest of the Slytherins.

"Dear Snake,

We heard from your incredibly loud friends that today happens to be your birthday. Which is fascinating to us, you see. Because when it's someone's birthday, they typically get a present. That being said, keep an eye out for us. We have a little something for you. We also have a sneaking suspicion that you've given up your side of the prank. It's our turn every time. Be ready.

Gred & Forge"

"Oh this just makes everything perfect," Aeron crumpled the paper in his hands and threw it down on the table in annoyance.

All of them turned to face the direction of the Gryffindor table, which was filled with two very concerned yet entertained looking boys. George was a bit unnerved by the harsh glares coming his way and he did his best to seem unaffected. He went back to eating his meal while Fred kept his eyes glued to the four Slytherins. Fred didn't like how Ana looked so upset when she stormed out of the hall. He never assumed that the paper birds would make her feel that way. More times than not Fred found that once he made the girl smile, the next time they met he somehow would put a frown on her face. He wasn't liking that it seemed to become a pattern.

He also was not liking the venomous scowl that the pale boy was giving him. Both their brown eyes were in a deadlock, neither one of them were able to turn away from the other. It took the beater to tap at the pale boy's shoulder to redirect his attention. And once he did, Fred mimicked his brother's actions and began ignoring them entirely.

Their little display didn't go as planned given that Ana left without even seeing their letter. He dropped his head to the table and let it rest there while George rubbed his back to comfort him. This was going to be a long day, he thought.

~

"I cannot believe the Gryffindors got taken down by Hufflepuff," Aeron cackled as he was shuffling around some cards to quiz her with, "The look on their faces was unbeatable."

The two of them were sitting at the top of the Astronomy Tower and Ana was smart enough to bring a blanket with her this time. It was the end of February but it was nowhere near springtime, and being in the tower meant she was more exposed to the chilly winds.

"That guy, Diggory, he's good."

Ana's focus was in her hands where she was playing with the mittens that Fred had given her. She was planning on returning them to him but whenever she stepped outside and felt how cold it was, the idea of losing them seemed like a horrible plan. The little bundle of maroon wool was the best bit of winter wear she had, so until he pried it from her hands, they were going to stay with her. Besides, she deserved something nice for how they scared her during breakfast that morning.

"He is, and we're going to have to go extra hard if Slytherin wants to win," the boy plopped down on the floor and opened their history books.

"I mean of course, but I don't want them to feel even more pressured," she commented with a smile. Ana found a tiny little 'F.W.' on the mittens which made a wide smile spread across her rosy cheeks.

"What are you smiling about?" Aeron observed her quick change in expression with an inquisitive look.

"It's noth-"

"Is it because of your birthday?" he asked as he brought his hands to his mouth as he began warming them up with his breath. Aeron was shivering a bit and she felt bad for him, so she pointed her wand to her blanket and spoke "Engorgio". The blanket that used to only be big enough for herself doubled in size, so she swung the rest to cover Aeron a bit. He took the blanket happily and his deep brown eyes glowed at the offer. "Thanks, Ana."

"No problem."

"But, your birthday?" Aeron urged on.

"It's nothing. I don't want to talk about it. Let's just study," she gray eyes stared at him as her jaw locked. He knew that this was not something she was going to negotiate.

~

"They're at the tower again!" the ginger boy snapped at his brother as he held out the massive map in front of him along with his wand that was blasting a beam of light in their room. The boys had tried going to bed early, but the possibilities of that happening dwindled by the second. George was used to his older brother being overfilled with energy until the late hours of the night, but as it grew darker, the only thing he craved was silence and sleep. And maybe for his brother to stop nagging him.

"Fred, we've talked about this," George grumbled as he shielded his eyes from the bright light that Fred insisted on shoving in his face. Their dorm had enough space to house five students, so there was ample room all around them. And George scowled at the fact the Fred decided to ignore the emptiness of the room and instead insisted on sitting at the foot of his bed. "They're studying."

Fred rolled his eyes as he began rocking back and forth anxiously which only made George's bed sway side to side. "Well, that much? How bad can that girl be in history?" He bellowed out as he flung his back onto the bed, leaving George little room to put his feet.

"Shut up, mate!" Lee yelled from beyond the drapes that encased his bed; he had drawn them when Fred started his tantrum. Lee had been hearing about this same situation every single time Fred caught sight of the two Slytherins on the map. At the beginning, he found it funny, but Lee had ran out of snarky responses to Fred's concern. "You do this every...single...time. Maybe the girl really is that bad in history. And that's it."

Fred hated that neither of the boys were engaging with him over what he deemed was an important discussion. A bubble of anger and annoyance began to grow in his gut ever since he saw on the map that Ana and Aeron were together at the Astronomy Tower. They would never move from that spot and they would stay there so long that Fred's eyes would cross from staring at the map so long.

"Look, I'm just interested, Georgie," Fred justified with a hint of mischief in his voice. "Don't you want to know what two pureblood wizards are talking about on their little field trips to the tower? Not to mention that Aeron read the birthday note that was meant for her. That was a bit of a rotten move on his part, yeah?"

George sat up, realizing that sleep wasn't in the cards for him at the moment. His brows arched for the first time during Fred's monologue, "I mean, maybe I'm a bit interested," he folded under his brother's pressure.

A giant grin painted Fred's face, after finally garnering some attention from his brother and he was going to take full advantage of the moment, "Think about it, Georgie," his voice took on the style of a broom salesman. "Aeron, from what we have seen with our own four eyeballs, is a menace. He's not nice to anyone, so why would they spend hours together on the Astronomy Tower?"

"To study. Right?" George asked with a bit of doubt, "At least that's what you said you saw last time you snuck up on them."

"Snuck up on them?" Fred scoffed as if he were offended. "No, dear brother, I was merely observing snakes in their natural habitat. Like Charlie and his dragons."

"You know that's not nearly the same thing."

"Oh shut it," Fred huffed. Maybe involving George was a mistake if he wasn't going to roll with the punches, "You know what I mean."

Lee pulled open his curtains with a quick swipe, his hair was a mess from tossing and turning. The twins weren't making it easy for him to sleep. Fred and George were taken aback by the boy's sudden presence and they stared at him curiously.

"Whatcha got to say there, Lee?" Fred chuckled at the boy's disheveled appearance.

The boy strutted sneakily towards the two of them, a small smirk plastered across his face. "Freddie," he held onto the arm of his friend as he gently squeezed it, but with a sudden twist, Fred launched off of the bed and let out a howl as he held the bit of skin Lee had pinched. "Please do something, mate," Lee roared desperately, "I cannot handle you driving yourself mad over nothing. Either go and see what's up or shut up!"

George chuckled at the yelp that came out of his brother but he agreed with Lee who had already hopped back into his own bed. He looked back at Fred who had once again picked up the map with a longing look in his eyes as his wand traced the outline of their names. George had hardly ever seen Fred so concerned about something and he began to feel bad for making fun of his brother over the whole situation.

After kissing his plans of getting a good night's sleep goodbye, the younger twin grabbed his own wand and pulled on his shoes and his jacket. Fred gaped at his brother and asked him what he was doing.

"If you're really so fascinated by this whole thing, then we can go and check it out ourselves," George concluded as he picked up and offered over his brother's matching jacket. Fred stared at his brother with a twinkle in his eyes as he chucked the clothes on and the two down the stairs, past the common room, and through the dark vacant halls of the castle.

~

Ana and Aeron had been relentlessly focusing on the more challenging bits of class's material, bouncing back and forth whenever Ana answered a question correctly. She never figured that the class could be so interesting, and assumed that maybe Aeron could be a professor in the future. A living breathing person would probably be a better teacher than the ghost who currently taught the class. History came so easily to the boy and it was impressive.

"Aeron?" Ana began to fumble with the mittens.

He looked up at her beyond his illuminated wand, since the sun set and the darkness consumed their light, it was the only way he could read his flash cards. Aeron hummed at the girl, while keeping his eyes focused on the material.

"How are you so good at history?" she questioned. "I mean, I've seen you fall asleep in class before, so how do you keep up with it all?"

Aeron's thin lips curves into a tiny smile, one of many from that night. She never really saw him smile outside of their study sessions and she started to wonder if anyone ever gave the boy a reason to smile.

"My uncle tells me a bunch of stories from the past," he explained. "Ever since I was a kid he would tell me about the origin of our family and the extent of the wizarding bloodline. Whenever we talked, he would pride himself on how much he knew about magic and the wizarding world. He kinda sure that I began to understand the importance of it."

Ana nodded as he explained his situation, "Was he around a lot?"

"He raised me," the boys face softened, his eyes were no longer on her but on the blanket that was in his lap. The entire mood shifted and Ana began to regret asking that final question since it clearly made him uncomfortable. If he was raised by his uncle, she could only assume that his parents were out of the picture and she didn't want to push him to reveal more than he wanted.

"I think that's cool," Ana complimented and he looked up at her with a pained expression. "The most I know about my family is I have an aunt in Azkaban and an aunt who was kicked out of the family. Other than that, I haven't been told much. I wished I knew more, but my parents aren't much for storytelling."

His brows quirked up in surprise, "Your father and my uncle know each other actually. I'm surprised he never talked about it."

Ana never knew that their families were acquainted, but it made sense for pureblood families to hangout. Those were the only people her father seemed to bring around the manor anyways. She wondered if they would've been friends if they had been introduced outside of school.

Aeron let out a long yawn and Ana laughed, calling it a night. Neither of them knew what time it was but considering the sun had been long gone, it had to be well past midnight. They collected their items in silence and trekked their way back to the Slytherin dungeons.


	13. Jelly Slugs

Fred and George were rounding the corner of one of the long corridors when they heard a high pitched yelp coming from ahead of them. They mirrored worried glances and began to slowly skip down the halls just to find Ana leaning over a bench and rubbing at her knee. Aeron was chuckling quietly at the girl until his eyes met the same pair from earlier in that day; then the boy's laugh was replaced with a harsh stare directed at the twins.

Before Ana could look up, George pulled Fred back around a nearby corner to stay out of their sight, but they weren't the most discreet.

"What was that?" Ana loudly whispered to Aeron, not wanting to get caught after hours. She gre tired just from thinking about how she had to sprint down the halls the first time that prefect saw her roaming at night.

Fred and George had their backs to the wall as they waited to make their next move. There was the very high possibility that they were about to be discovered and would have to haul themselves down the hall, so they held their breaths.

"Probably just Peeves," the boys heard Aeron replied with an unbothered tone. "Come on, let's go."

And as the sounds of footsteps grew more and more distant, the boys let out a sigh of relief. Without a word, the twins twisted through various corridors to get back to Gryffindor tower, and much to Fred's dismay, he missed his chance to eavesdrop on the pair. It bugged him, but he knew that there would be another time to drop in on the two of them. The only sound that came from the room was the soft whistle that was George's snore and Fred fell asleep with the map beside him.

~

Seven o'clock. She was to meet him at seven o'clock, but Ana swore time was going in slow motions as she kept glancing down at her watch. It was a beautiful watch given to her by her mother for her eleventh birthday; her mother insisted that it would be nice to have when she started her first year at Hogwarts. The face was decorated with tiny diamonds and the silver band complimented her fair skin nicely. Ana smiled at the gift, remembering how happy she was to receive it. She often forgot to where it though, since she never wanted to get any dirt or potions on it. But, Ana was not going to be late for this meeting.

Gargoyle Tower was exceptionally quiet despite it still being relatively early in the evening; the silence that surrounded her only made her aware of how panicked her breathing sounded. She hadn't had much time to prepare for this meeting, given that she was made aware of it only a few hours ago. This was not a part of the castle she had been to before so she started to distract herself from her own nervousness by counting the stone blocks that lined the corridor walls.

Once the time on her watch showed it to be seven, she approached the statue of a gargoyle and looked at the little note that had arrived to her during lunch. All it said was:

" Join me at my office. Seven o'clock. I would like to speak with you.

-Professor Dumbledore

A word of advice, I quite like Jelly Slugs."

Ana had no idea what to do with this information until Lucian informed her that Dumbledore always had a sweet as his office password and that jelly slugs seemed to be his new obsession for the moment. She found it strange that his office would be safeguarded by a sweet, but she figured that Dumbledore was a bit out there to begin with.

With shaky hands, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as she chanted to the statue, "Jelly Slugs."

The large stone bird began to swivel and as it moved a staircase became available to her. The steps rotated until she was led into the doorway of a large room with arched ceilings and mixed matched picture frames. Each one of them held the portrait of very old men, each one of them more ancient than the next. His office was filled with artifacts and books and from the far end of the room, Ana could see the sorting hat was sitting on top of one of the many bookshelves.

Every corner of the room seemed to have a secret surprise, but what was most surprising was sitting behind the headmaster's desk which was currently vacant. Ana tiptoed towards a fiery red bird that was perched on a golden stand and held a cautious hand out towards it. The bird cocked its head to the side end welcomed her pet with soft squawks. She had never seen a bird like this, but it did do a good job at calming the nervousness that was running through her.

"I see you have made a new friend," a tired voice chirped from the second story of the office.

Ana craned her neck to see the Headmaster as he worked his way down the stairs. He looked peaceful and welcomed her with a soft smile. She was never told why the headmaster wanted to see her, so she waited patiently for him to control the conversation.

He held his hand out and motioned for her to sit down across from him, "Hello, Ms. Malfoy. How has your first year been going?"

"It's been good, Professor," she replied shortly. Ana felt like the man didn't truly call her in just to ask how her year was going. The first years weren't given a complimentary meeting with the man, so she wondered where this was going. And she wasn't going to elaborate on the insignificant details of her routine just to pass the time. So, the girl waited for him to continue.

Dumbledore peered into her eyes with a yearning expression, trying to get her to keep talking. But the small girl remained still and straight faced. Very formal for a twelve year old he thought. Before he continued to speak, he held out a jar of jelly slugs, silently offering her a treat. She stared at the jar for a moment but ultimately gave in and took the squishy gummy candy.

"Well, not a girl of many words it seems," he chuckled lightly as she began to play with the candy in her hands instead of eating it. "But, that's fine with me. I had something to ask you anyways."

Ana perked up, suddenly far more interested in what the man was going to say next. She knew he wanted to speak for a reason.

"It has come to my attention that you have a very close relationship with Professor Sprout am I correct?"

She smiled at the mention of her favorite teacher and she nodded her head eagerly, "She's my favorite professor."

"Well, I would like to inform you that she, too, thinks incredibly highly of you. She says you have an act for Herbology and a certain gentleness that she wasn't expecting. Might I even say, she cares a great deal about you, Ana. And because of that care, she has brought something to my attention."

The fuzzy feelings that were swarming in Ana's chest simmered by the change in the headmaster's tone. She didn't know that Professor Sprout would talk about their conversations with the other teachers; she had assumed that what they would discuss would remain between them. But she had been proven wrong.

"Professor Sprout has alerted me that you have trouble sleeping," his eyes were concerned behind his half-moon spectacles and Ana sighed at the mention of her sleeping problems. Even the mention of them made her nervous. "Is that true?"

Without wanting to speak much of the situation, Ana merely nodded and whispered a simple, "Yes."

"And does it happen often? That you find yourself having issues?"

Once again, she answered with a nod, not allowing her to say much. Her hands continued to play with the jelly candy which was now losing all its shape, while the rest of her body remained composed. Dumbledore sat quietly and patiently in front of her, trying to find the best way to approach her.

"Do you happen to know why you can't sleep?"

She knew why, and the image of a wooden door standing between her and some inevitable danger played in the back of her mind. The thought made her cheeks burn in both panic and embarrassment; the idea of admitting to the professor that she was being tormented by the same nightmare sounded childish and stupid. It was nothing. Just a dream.

"I don't," she said blankly, staring through the man as if he wasn't there. The less she said, the better, she figured.

"Why do I not believe you, Ms. Malfoy?" he confessed kindly.

Her heart began to pound harder against her chest and she began wracking her brain for some sort of escape. The conversation was not one that she wanted to partake in much longer. Her mind thought of resorting to faking ill or something more dramatic, but that was more Draco's wheelhouse. Professor Dumbledore was a smart man; she knew this. He wouldn't be the head of the school if he was an imbecile. So she would have to play along as best she could.

"I'm not sure, Professor," Ana continued to play with the candy. "But I've always had trouble sleeping, ever since I was little. I appreciate Professor Sprout worrying about me, though."

He hummed at her response, her eyes didn't reveal much of her true feelings, and so he stood and hobbled towards one of his many bookcases. She watched him as his thin finger grazed along the spines of his collection until it landed on one book. He pulled it out and turned back to the girl. 

"Professor Sprout is not your only mentor is she?" he inquired as he dug his hand into the jelly slugs and plopped a one of them into his mouth with a grin. "I hear that Professor Snape has been supplying you with books from his own collection."

Ana nodded as he once again took a seat at his desk. He looked so unassuming, but Ana knew that he wanted her to divulge more information.

"This is a book," he held it firmly, "about healing potions. I've had it with me since I was younger."

She was beginning to wonder if he was going to reminisce with her about his earlier years, when she glanced at her watch she noticed that almost an hour had already passed. That fact didn't register correctly to Ana. Had she actually been there that long?

"And in it, this book, is the instructions used to brew the Dreamless Sleep Potion."

Her ears perked at the name and she found herself incredibly interested in what the man had to say about this potion.

"Ah!" he bellowed joyously after noticing her eyes grow wide at the sound of the potion, "I had a feeling this would intrigue you, Ms. Malfoy. This potion allows the drinker to experience, as you might guess from its name, a totally dreamless sleep. Whatever plagues your dreams, if anything is, will vanish."

Her heart started to flutter at the idea of never having to experience her nightmare ever again. She had hoped for a solution for years, never being able to get one from her mother. And here was Dumbledore, sitting with a fist full of jelly candies and offering up a solution to one of her greatest fears. But she couldn't accept it.

"I would love that Professor," the old man twinkled with happiness at her verdict, "but I can't."

And just like that, Dumbledore's excitement extinguished as fast as it came, "Why would that be, Ms. Malfoy?"

"Professor Snape is already making me a potion everyday as it is," Ana pointed out. "I don't want to make him do more work than he already does."

Ana wasn't sure how she felt about Snape, but she did know that he was kind enough to make batches of her medicine daily and for nothing in return. He was cranky and moody and absurdly theatrical, but she was appreciative nonetheless. Sure, she would love to not have to deal with the nightmares and the screaming in the middle of the night; but she couldn't request him to do more for her.

"And your potion, what is its purpose?"

"It's medicine. I need to take it every day," she explained to the headmaster who began to bob his head in understanding.

He observed the switch from cautious to hopeful to discouraged that took place in the young girl and he began searching for a way to bring back that hopeful look. She wasn't telling him something, and he assumed she wasn't going to divulge much information so soon. His eyebrows raised at the solution that came to him.

"If it is medicine that Professor Snape is currently supplying you, I am sure Madam Pomfrey can take that responsibility off his hands so he can prepare for you the Dreamless Sleep Potion. Would you like that, Ms. Malfoy?"

And her hopeful attitude returned. Ana's face that was stone cold chipped away to a softer and appreciative young girl; she suddenly looked her age.

"I would like that very much, Professor Dumbledore."

"Then it is settled," he clapped his hands and stood from his seat to make his way towards the girl. "I will be speaking to your head of house about putting this plan in motion." 

She nodded her head excitedly, smiling for the first time since she sat down. Ana let out a shaky breath, shedding away the worry she had been carrying around her for years. She hadn't even gotten the potion yet, but just the idea of being able to sleep through the night without the threat of a nightmare turned her whole mood around. Her distrust for Professor Dumbledore faded and she felt grateful towards Professor Sprout for gossiping about her problems to the headmaster. She would have to put in more time in the greenhouses to make it up to her.

"I also am very aware of the time, so I would suggest you make your way to your dormitory," he motioned to the gargoyle statue that stood at the entrance of his office. "Given tonight's conversation you need as much sleep as you can get."

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore," Ana mumbled warmly as she started making her way towards the rotating staircase. "I really, really appreciate it."

The man walked beside her, matching the small and slow strides she made towards the stairs.

"You're very welcome, Ms. Malfoy. Off you go," he handed her a slip that allowed her access through the halls, just in case she was stopped by a prefect, or even worse Mr. Filch.

And with that, she was standing at the top of the stairs as they slowly began to descend. Before the head of the school left her line of sight, she was able to reveal one last gentle smile. She couldn't believe her luck. She spent years wanting an outcome from anyone and she began to wonder how come her mother nor father had thought of this solution beforehand. But either way, she would get to experience a peaceful sleep and she would have Professor Snape to thank.

~

An hour passed before the Headmaster left his office, allowing enough time for the young girl to make it back to her common room. He didn't want her to notice him as he too was making his way through the dungeons. After Ana mentioned that the Slytherin head of house was making her daily potions, Dumbledore was intensely curious what it was for, and why it wasn't known to either him or the healer on hand. The headmaster instilled so much trust in the potions master and this oversight was something he needed clarification on. So the man had no problem interrupting the younger professor's night.

Dumbledore made his way through the potions classroom and knocked firmly on Professor Snape's door. It took very little time before the wooden door flung open at the arrival of the headmaster.

"Professor Dumbledore," Snape was surprised to see the man at his office so late and unannounced. "Come in."

Dumbledore was going to enter his office whether or not Snape wanted him to, "I find it unnecessary to draw this out longer than I have to. So I will get straight to the point, Severus."

The older man's mood was off, Snape thought. While it was never in Dumbledore's nature to beat around the bush, the headmaster was exceptionally straightforward and abrupt in his approach. It unnerved the man.

"It has come to my attention that you have been supplying one of your students a daily medicine, and I would like to know what it is and why you have neglected to tell me about it."

Snape saw the man turn from his usual airy self to the man who was rightfully named the most powerful sorcerer of their time. There was no way to dodge his questions, so Snape offered him a seat and slammed his office door closed with a wave of his wand.


	14. The Storm

"So you're saying he's not a total ass?" Alex gapped at her friend after Ana explained to the group just how helpful Aeron had become for her.

No one was incredibly sold on the idea given how sneaky the boy had been in the past, but even Ana had to admit that he was becoming easier to be around. It was a stark difference to the boy that they had met earlier in the year. At least that's what Ana insisted was true.

The girls were situated on the soft fluffy carpet that sat in front of their fireplace in their dorm. It was late April, Calista's birthday, and the sun was just beginning to set at eight o'clock as the three of them continued their birthday tradition of gorging on desserts and sweets. Since the sun began setting later in the day, it gave the girls a bit more time to stay awake without being drowned by darkness. Instead of feeling tired midafternoon, the three found themselves celebrating amidst the murky lake as it glowed shades of magenta and gold.

All three of them had retired their winter wear, and Alex wore her Holyhead Harpies shirt to bed, Calista had some sort of muggle rock band shirt; it had to do with the queen. Although Ana found it strange that the shirt had four very hairy men on it. Either way, she was excited to wear the fancy pajamas her mother insisted on buying and the silk felt slick and comfortable as the weather got warmer.

"No, I promise," Ana gushed happily as she recounted her study sessions. "He is actually pretty easygoing when he's focused on something."

Alex began munching loudly on a crackling candy that was bursting in her mouth. Calista looked woefully at her friend's poor manner but let it slide and chuckled instead.

"You think you'll be prepared for the final exam? It's coming up in a few weeks," Calista reminded as she started eating a chocolate frog.

It had been a long time since she had even considered finals; tutoring had become such a normal part of her routine that she forgot why she evne started in the first place. But after the months of incessant studying and revising and quizzing, Ana started to feel more comfortable with the class and her grades had been improving.

"I think I will be, Cal. We've made flash cards for the things I've been struggling with and we're gonna cover that last. So it's fresh in my mind before the exams."

"You're serious. Aeron has been that helpful?" Alex couldn't believe what she was hearing, but she didn't doubt Ana's honesty. Just Aeron's kindness. Ana was smiling widely as she reached into the trunk that sat at the foot of her bed and pulled out a stack of cards that was almost too big to hold. The girl waved them excitedly at her friends who were sharing a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

"He really has been! Look, we took three weeks to write all of these out," Ana began to sift through all the papers, looking at all the hard work she and Aeron put in to writing them. They began sitting together in history class and used the time to scribble down all the hardest chapters instead of actually listening to the lesson. Both of them knew Ana wasn't going to pay attention to the professor anyways.

"That's great, Ana," Calista beamed as she played with her stuffed rabbit on her lap. It was her time with the toy as all three girls began rotating it between them. "I'm sure you'll do perfectly fine by the time the final rolls around."

"Yeah and then you can ditch Aeron," Alex chuckled as she tipped the box of beans into her mouth, which was a bad idea since she got a combination of orange, earwax, and toothpaste. The girl spat it back out dramatically and Calista yelled for her to clean up her mess which just made Ana reel in laughter.

God she loved it here.

After another hour of celebrating Calista's birthday, they all decided to go to bed. The birthday girl had brought her own radio from home and she put on a singer named Elton John. Apparently the man was a half blood wizard, which was a surprise to both Ana and Alex. She had never heard of a wizard making a name for themselves by pretending to be a muggle, but as his songs continued to play in their dorms, Ana could see how he was so loved.

Calista put on the song "Tiny Dancer" as Ana sat up in her bed. She reached into her bedside table and pulled out a vial with a tiny dropper. The crystal container glimmered as she let a single drop of the potion touch her tongue. It tasted absolutely horrid, but she would rather endure that taste than have to deal with having another nightmare.

Maybe, just maybe, Professor Snape was nicer than he let on. Or maybe he couldn't refuse since Dumbledore was the one who requested the professor made the Dreamless Sleep Potion for her. Either way, she let out a contented sigh as the potion began to make her feel woozy and warm. And within a few minutes, Ana was fast asleep. Dreaming of absolutely nothing; which was exactly what she wanted.

~  
"So, Ana, what's the plan?" Aeron asked quietly.

The two of them were treading the long distance from the Slytherin common room all the way up to the Astronomy Tower like they did multiple times a week. The boy would take breaks between walking slowly and then galloping like a horse, which demanded Ana to try to keep up with him. He was outstandingly chipper about the night, but finals were getting closer, so she could understand why he was so jittery. They were going to be going over the harder bits of the class this night and they needed to take advantage of any time they had left.

"First, I think that we should go over the material in the book? Maybe do a quick review of the last chapter," Ana suggested and the boy nodded enthusiastically. "And then we could spend the rest of the time going over these flash cards. Go slow at first and then rapid fire quizzing at the end!"

"Look who's excited about history," Aeron mocked her despite his tone being playful.

It was normal for him to still jab at her like he used to, except now he never really said anything to hurt her. He was simply always going to be a little smarty pants. But the smarty pants was going to save her grade so she didn't mind.

"Shut it, Wright," she giggled once again trying to keep up with the boy who began sprinting up the winding stairs.

Ana was not about to run up those stairs so she let him go on by himself and she took her time. Her first years was coming to a close and she was astounded by how quickly the year was going by. Although now that she was able to sleep soundlessly, maybe she just had the energy to not feel dragged by time anymore.

Time certainly flew as she and Aeron spent an hour reading over the last chapter in their textbook. Since it was nicer out, Ana laid on the floor and stared up at the ceiling that was merely a sheet of glass. It was beautiful to look at, all the stars and constellations that she learned about came out at night, and it provided a calming view for her as she listened to Aeron. His old snarky voice disappeared and he read about wizard history with such excitement, as if he was reading the script of an action movie; Calista watched a lot of those.

"Wanna get started with the flash cards, Ana?"

Aeron closed the textbook and stretched his arms out to fix his posture. Ana let out a sound of agreement as she continued to stare at the glass ceiling. The stars and moons were all merging into a sea of glowing spots, and she began to think her eyes were playing tricks on her, until she saw movement in the reflection above her. It didn't look like a star or a comet, but something moved quickly across her vision.

A small shuffle of feet came from underneath her head, and she could feel the vibrations against the wooden floor. She shot up from her position which scared Aeron enough for him to drop the flash cards on the ground.

"What's up, Ana?" His dark brown eyes grew worried.

She held up her hand in an attempt to silence him; she was solely focused on the floor boards beneath her that were the cause of her confusion. Aeron was unnerved by her focused stare at the ground and thought she was losing her mind until he too heard a small crash come from beneath them. Ana's stomach dropped and the thought of being caught by a teacher or worse Mr. Filch flooded her mind.

"You heard that right?" Aeron asked worriedly, his voice trembled a bit as he started collecting the flash cards with shaky hands. Ana took her eyes off the floor for a moment to look at him; she nodded slowly as a prick of nervousness tickled her neck.

They took a moment to be perfectly still in case a teacher was trying to eavesdrop. It was so quiet that the sounds of the owls that lived in a neighboring tower could be heard and the ticking of the watch on her wrist grew louder. Within the silence, their pulses were beating in their ears until Aeron pointed at the floor boards.

"Ana, who is-"

But the boy didn't get to finish his thought as the two were deafened by a crack of thunder that crashed directly above their heads.

Ana and Aeron screamed loudly at the massive cloud that filled the room. It must've started off small, but it had grown to be the size of the ceiling and within seconds it began to drown them in a violent storm. The rain was so intense Ana could hardly see a foot in front of her face and within an instant, Aeron disappeared from her sight. She reached out and stumbled across the floor as she tried to find something to grab onto, but her search came up short as she was met with broken glass and ruined study materials.

Tiny ice pellets pounded into their skin at a torturous pace, creating sores wherever they landed on her. It pierced her so hard, she felt like she was getting hit over the head by a hundred bludgers at once. Ana cried loudly, not knowing what good it would do. And it didn't even matter because as soon as the sound left her mouth, the howling winds created a vacuum around her and sucked all the oxygen out of her lungs, leaving her gasping and light headed.

She yelled out for Aeron, trying to find where he was as she shielded her head from the books and classroom instruments that were flying around the room and thrashing around her. The rain was so hard that she could no longer see. She couldn't see, she couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. At the crash of another lightning bolt, Ana cried and dropped to the floor. All that she could do was shield herself and choke on the empty air that threatened to make her pass out. Her mind began to grow hazy as the storm swallowed her whole. There was nothing she could do.

"Immobulus!"

Suddenly, everything stood still. The flashcards and telescopes levitated in the air as the giant cloud hovered, the rain droplets stood still in the air like tiny pearls. A lightning bolt fizzled as it lingered between states of combustion, the buzzing sound matched the one that was pounding in Ana's ears. She gulped desperately on the air that finally became available to her while Aeron doubled over, heaving in pain.

He put his wand back into his robes as he stumbled over towards Ana's shivering body. Her robes clung to her and the weight of the water held her down to the ground like a tiny bird.

"Ana," he muttered nervously as she stayed glued to the floor.

He had no idea where to go from here. There was no way he'd be able to carry her and even if he tried, it was past curfew which meant they would definitely get caught.

"Come on, Ana," he pleaded with the girl who had just began to open her eyes. "We've got to go. We can't stay here."

She didn't want to move. Every inch of her body was exhausted from trying to fight the storm, but in the end, it defeated her. It took every bit of energy out of her and her limbs felt like a hundred pounds each. Even opening her eyes to look at the boy felt like she had run a marathon. The rain made her absolutely freezing, but she couldn't find the ability to get up.

After pleading a bit more with the unresponsive girl, Aeron knew that he was going to have to get help. It terrified him to leave her alone but there was no one else around to help; he would have to go. With a beat of hesitation, Aeron jumped up off the floor and began to scurry as fast as he could down the stairs trying not to trip as a trail of water followed behind him.

But Ana could hardly notice that he left. All she could focus on was the sting of air as it passed through her nose and how cold the air felt as it entered her lungs. She wished at this moment for nothing more than to be sitting in front of the warm fire in the Slytherin common room, surrounded by her friends. Aeron included. Maybe if she thought about it long enough she'd be able to envision it were real. Maybe she could manifest the burning fires licking the chill away from her hands and the feeling of Calista playing with her hair.

She could see it so clearly in her mind. Alex and Aeron would be arguing over something absolutely ridiculous like who would beat who in an arm wrestling match. Lucian would crack a charming smile over a dumb one-liner that Ana said. All the while, Calista would be fussing with her radio, trying to find the perfect song to play for them all. It was everything she wanted. Although she could've sworn she heard another set of voices. Two almost identical tones calling her name in unison. It tickled her ears it sounded so close, but yet so far away. She couldn't see them, but she knew the twins' voices when she heard them.

"Fred, look what you did!"

"I didn't think the storm was going to be that big! Tonks said it would be a tiny rain cloud!" A voice cried in panic. "We've got to do something, Georgie."

"No! You've done enough. Besides that boy is going to come back and this time he won't be alone. So if you were smart, you would know that now is the time to leave."

This didn't make sense in her vision. If the twins were for any reason hanging out with them in the Slytherin common room, they would be having a fantastic time. They would be taunting the merpeople through the glass or seeing just how long they could hold their breath as if they were actually underwater. They wouldn't sound so scared. Why did they sound so scared?

But soon their voices phased out of her mind and the gentle hum of the castle played beneath her. It was comforting to lay there, every muscle was slack against the ground as her mind started to grow tired. Sleeping on the floor of the Astronomy Tower wouldn't have been her first pick, but it wasn't sounding too bad right around now.

As she was beginning to drift off to sleep, a pair of arms situated themselves beneath her knees and across her back. Her head dipped back as she slowly swayed the longer she was being carried. This was not a familiar feeling, and if she had enough energy she would've been darting away from whoever was holding her, but she was too tired to investigate it. Two different yet gentle voices filled her ears and she could tell from the concern that Lucian was one of the voices. How long he had been there, Ana had no idea. But it was nice to have him around.

She had no concept of time, but her stomach dropped every few hundred steps whenever they descended another stairway. And after about five of those, the darkness of the dungeons registered even though her eyes were shut. The whisper of their password and the creaking of the large doors welcomed her home as she was delicately placed on a soft surface. This was a far better sleeping arrangement than the floor in the tower, she hummed at the cushion that now rested beneath her head. Her skin which was frozen to the touch was beginning to thaw as the heat of a nearby fire encompassed her.

"Thank you for helping, Lucian," her friend said with a soft tone. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem, Aeron. Why don't you go and get showered and in bed? I'll stay here with Ana."

Silence filled the room once again, and she could only picture that Lucian was within arm's reach of her. Her eyes were still closed, but she could feel a layer of blanket being laid on top of her. And then another one as the couch she was curled up on was shifted so she was facing the fire that blazed continuously in the common room. A tired huff sounded from near her and the idea of Lucian keeping her company made her happy. She liked when she was near him. He was always so nice to her.

Lucian had taken residence on the smaller armchair that sat near the couch that Ana was sleeping on. It wasn't the most comfortable, but it would have to work for the night. He couldn't see himself leaving the shivering girl by herself and he couldn't exactly walk her into her dorm without the stairs turning into slides. The common room would have to work.

Within her haze, Ana revealed a small smile. She was safe here. In the Slytherin common room, the fire brought her back to a normal body temperature and she was being accompanied by someone she trusted. It was unusual for her to feel quite at ease, but after a few deep breaths, her body slumped into a peaceful sleep.

Not too far away, the older boy noticed that her pale blue skin had returned to a soft pink and she was no longer violently shaking. Seeing her like that was not something he wanted to see again, but he was at least happy that she was safe and comfortable enough to sleep.

After about an hour, a door shut softly within one of the staircases. And from the stairs came Aeron who was showered and dressed in his pajamas; a matching set with little fluffy white slippers. It was late in the night and Lucian wondered why the boy hadn't gone straight to bed.

"It was the twins." Aeron revealed as he shifted back and forth from his heels to his toes.

Lucian shook his head in surprise; he was far too tired to believe he heard the boy correctly. Sure, the twins were reckless and a bit too careless for their own good, but even he was having trouble imaging they'd take it that far. Ana looked horrible when he found her.

"Are you sure? Because you know how devastated Ana will be if that's true."

But as soon as the younger boy looked back at him, Lucian knew that no one in that room was lying. Aeron held a look of sadness and desperation that seemed odd on the boy's face which usually held a scowl whenever he was around.

"I'm sure. I saw them."


	15. Boom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Panic Attack

Ana and Aeron vowed to not go back to the Astronomy Tower after that night. Not only were they nearly drowned by the twins' dumb and unnecessary prank, but the cards they spent weeks writing out were destroyed in a matter of seconds. That was possibly what Ana was most aggravated about; all of her hard work was blasted to bits and Ana couldn't stop herself from feeling guilty about it happening, and at Aeron's expense. She was the twins' target, not him. He didn't deserve it any of this.

However, Aeron did not feel sorry for himself in the slightest. After what the twins did, and how badly Ana was affected by it, the only thing Aeron could feel was pure anger towards the two boys. They were reckless, and careless, and incredibly good at magic despite what they used it for. The magnitude of that storm was impressive and he couldn't even begin to think about how they could have possibly hurt Ana even more.

She wanted to talk to them, maybe yell at them a bit. But none of that would change the situation. This time she wasn't going to get back at them by pranking them, or screaming; she was going to play the long game. They would not receive a speck of attention from her. She would not dare look over at the Gryffindor table and whenever they approached her and her four friends, they would create a physical barrier between her and the Weasleys. It might have been torture for their conscious, but Ana needed some time to herself, even if every part of her wanted to forgive them.

It became ridiculous how desperate the twins were when it came to trying to win back her attention. Everyday, like clockwork, she would receive a tiny note at breakfast. And all that was on it was:

"We're so sorry.

Gred & Forge."

The letter would be written in a messy script, like whoever was scribbling on the paper was under total distress. She knew they were sorry. It was outstandingly and overwhelmingly obvious. In the end, it wasn't about them being sorry. Ana was just exhausted. Over the course of the year, the tiny pranks irked her more than she thought they would. The exploding cake and biting teacups were a breeze; that she could tolerate. But the swarm of paper birds that pelted her head and the storm that literally and figuratively knocked the wind out of her lungs were too much to handle. Fighting back wasn't exactly her preferred way of solving a situation. If there was one thing Ana knew she could it, it was to keep a straight face and act as if they weren't there. It worked at home.

And for the rest of the term, she kept that up. She would go to her classes, read her restricted book from Snape, and whenever she wasn't with Professor Sprout, she would religiously study with Aeron. They had to replace their damaged study materials and prepare for the final exams that were quickly approaching, and they were running out of time.

It wasn't a strange sight to see Ana and Aeron quizzing each other in the Slytherin common room, while Alex and Calista were off in a corner listening to some rock band that Calista swore was her new favorite. Even Lucian and Derrick made it a habit to hang around them, whether they worked on school or were devising new beater techniques they wanted to try out before the Quidditch Final.

The new routine wasn't as pretty to look at, especially now that it was warm out, Ana could only imagine how beautiful the school grounds looked from the top of the Astronomy Tower. Yet, she found the little family that was growing around her was even more beautiful. Everything she needed was right here. Well, almost everything.

After all her other friends had retired for the night, Ana and Aeron were the only ones left in the Slytherin common room. They were finally on the last unit, which gave them great relief since the final was only a few hours away. It was incredible how fast the term went when she didn't have to wait on the edge of her seat for another prank or another nightmare.

As she was scribbling down the answer to her practice essay question, Aeron's attention was brought to the Slytherin captain that came barreling down the stone steps, grunting along the way. But Ana was too immersed in her studying to care what that sack of doorknobs was doing.

"I'll be right back, Ana."

Aeron tapped gentling on the table before he left her alone to continue her work. It was unlike Aeron to get sidetracked, so Ana turned around to see the older Slytherin lead the younger boy further away from her. They were whispering so incredibly low that no matter how hard Ana tried she couldn't hear. She found it ridiculous that Aeron assumed she'd pay attention to her test when he was talking to someone like Flint. He wasn't known for being the most welcoming of Slytherins and it was that kind of attitude that gave their house a bad name. Well, that and all the dark wizards that were in the house.

Finding it pointless, Ana had to force herself to pay attention to finishing her test. After she completed her writing about the riveting Soap Blizzard of 1378, Ana stood from her plush leather chair and marched her way to her tutor. She reminded herself that this time was supposed to be about her and Aeron as she found the nerve to interrupt their little meeting.

"Sorry to interrupt boys," She smirked with no remorse at the older Slytherin as she slid her parchment into Aeron's scrawny hands.

Flint looked down at her with a crooked grimace which made her want to throw up a little bit. It was absolutely astounding that he could even look this unhappy right before bed and she wondered if the boy ever went a day without an ill thought. If anyone was to be unhappy at the moment it should be her; he was the one who stole her study buddy.

"I'm really tired and I need to sleep well for tomorrow. The test is first thing in the morning," Ana reminded the boy who was looking far more fearful than he did before. Maybe he was growing nervous about the exam. Although, she didn't understand why he would since he would pass with flying colors; regardless, he was allowed to be anxious.

Aeron nodded lowly at her and Ana saw that as her invitation to leave. She turned away from the sniveling captain and wished her friend goodnight.

~

The beginning of finals week was excruciating; Ana had never taken so many exams in her life and she knew that she would never miss this part of Hogwarts. Thankfully, her very first exam was History of Magic and the morning Ana and Aeron woke up an hour early so they could have one final chance to review. Both were painstakingly exhausted from doing so, expecially since they went to bed so late, but Aeron wanted to ensure Ana that she was ready.

And she was. Her heart was pounding through her chest as she waited for the test to start, but as soon as she began, she realized that she knew every answer to every question. Her fear immediately disappeared as she zipped throughout the exam, writing perfectly and confidently about every rebellion and wizard invention. Often times, Aeron would peak behind him to send her a smile; he knew that she would be passing this with flying colors.

When the test was over, Ana and Aeron were absolutely buzzing with excitement and she thanked him profusely, to the point that the young boy insisted she calmed down. Ana could not image having gotten through the test without his help and she felt undeniably grateful. But while she was excited, Aeron couldn't help but let a fear overcome him.

"Ana?"

The girl watched him grow nervous and he noticeably gulped at the idea of being honest with her. He had his arms crossed in front of him and played at the sleeves of his robes. She didn't want to pressure him, so she remained quiet and patient as he tried to piece his words together. After a few moments of silently walking to their next exam, he turned to her with a frown.

"I guess, I mean-" he was struggling with his words, as his jaw clenched, "-since we no longer have to study for history, I guess we-"

Ana stopped in her tracks and faced a somewhat even paler Aeron. He was so nervous and Ana wanted to squash whatever was making him so scared. "During the summer you'll write to me, yeah?" She smiled kindly at the boy, and at the sound of her question, he let out a sigh and enthusiastically nodded his head.

"Yeah, I can do that."

~

"Lucy, you're panicking," Ana filled up the boy's water goblet, which had been finished again by the very skittish boy. He was bouncing his leg rapidly underneath the table as he refused to eat any of his food. A piece of buttered toast and sausages laid uneaten on his plate and Alex's greedy eyes scanned the food like a hungry vulture.

Exam week was over. Everyone had done decent on their tests but that didn't stop the group from meeting and bashing all the dumb questions over pumpkin juice and cookies. Alex was fuming at all the unreasonable potions questions and mocked Ana when she joked about finding the test easy. Aeron and Lucian would sit back and watch the girls go back and forth with their grievances, exchanging similar eye rolls at the girls' drama. It was a therapeutic way of letting go of their stress they believed.

During breakfast this morning, Lucian was panicking over the Quidditch Finals that were happening later that day, against the new Hufflepuff seeker. The same seeker that absolutely destroyed both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw teams. It was the boy's first year on the team and Godric, he was good. So good to the point that the usually confident Lucian was queasy.

Ana watched the boy's olive skin drain of all its warmth; his face was strained and she could see that he was sweating a bit even though it wasn't an unbearably hot morning.

"I'm sorry, it's just," he had to take his time breathing and Ana could tell that he needed to calm down, "last match I was so sure we'd win and we did but it wasn't a landslide like I thought it'd be." He took another shaky gasp of air and his shoulders started to shake a tiny bit; Ana could feel it through the table where the boy had his elbows resting. "And now we're playing an even better team."

He dipped his head down and all the girls looked at each other nervously. Even Alex hadn't ever seen her brother like this and she had no idea how to comfort him. Calista leaned over the table, her hair once again almost dipped in her cereal, as she monitored the boy's condition. Ana had a feeling she could help him, Draco had reactions like this sometimes at home when he wasn't feeling good.

She sat a bit closer to him, slouched her shoulders to match his stance and encouraged in a calm voice, "Everything will be okay, Lucy. We all know how important this game is to you, but you're going to do just fine." His breathing was uneven but she could see that he was focusing on her words. So she continued, "I want you to do something for me, Lucy. Okay?"

Ana received a tiny nod from the boy.

"On the count of three I want you to sit up and put your hands face down on your lap. Can you do that?"

He once again nodded and Ana counted down from three, annunciating each number slowly. When she got to one, he followed her instructions to the t; his posture was far better than before and his hands laid on the tops of his knees. Lucian remained still as he waited for Ana to continue while Alex and Calista waited patiently.

"Good job," she complimented softly. "Now I want you to follow me, close your eyes and breathe along with me. Alright?"

Once again her confirmation came in the form of a tiny nod, so Ana breathed deeply and rhythmically, making it obvious so the older boy could match his own breaths. His shoulders started to drop and the tenseness and anxiousness that poisoned his mind began to ease the longer he breathed in time with her. They continued doing this for a minute, until Ana could see that he wasn't shaking or sweating like he was before. She whispered for him to open his eyes and once he fluttered them open he was met with the company of his little sister and her friends. Ana was watching him with a cautious expression and Lucian let out a relieved sigh, now feeling totally relaxed.

She grabbed his water goblet and held it up to him, which he took with steady hands. Alex looked like she was too nervous to talk, as if saying anything would make the boy nervous and ruin whatever it was that Ana just did. Calista rubbed the girls shoulders in an attempt to calm the other Bole sibling.

"Better?"

Lucian grinned appreciatively at her, his complexion was no longer dull and sickly but peachy and bright. He looked at her with an appreciative grin, now that his body was no longer conducting so much adrenaline. His nerves were replaced with a calm confidence, and he had Ana to thank.

"Much better."

~

If Lucian was nervous before, he surely did not show it while on the field. Within the first fifteen minutes of gameplay, Lucian had hit the Hufflepuff keeper so hard with the bludger that the boy was taken out of the game entirely. Lucian probably didn't realize how hard he had smacked the ball, but with the Hufflepuff keeper out for the count, it meant the Hufflepuff chasers and beaters had to work overtime to protect the goals. Slytherin house went absolutely wild as the two beaters were distracting and obscuring the chasers so well, that the Slytherin chasers almost had a clear shot whenever they went to score against Hufflepuff.

For the final, the girls decided to sit at one of the reserved towers that stood two stories higher than the rest of the school, which gave them the perfect spot to watch the game. Unfortunately, Aeron woke up feeling sick so he didn't get to join the girls, but he couldn't hide the smile that crossed his face when Ana had invited him. Every single meal, instead of sitting at a distance from the group, he began to inch his way closer to them. If asked a few months ago, Ana would've said that she couldn't stand the boy, yet whenever he spent time with her now, she could see he was warming up to the group. It made her happy.

It was probably for the best that Aeron declined since the sun was beating down on them to the point that the tops of their heads were growing hot. Ana was dressed in her typical attire, a skirt and a long sleeved button up shirt; it was the only types of clothes her mother ever bought her so she didn't have much of a selection. If her mother wouldn't wear it, Ana wouldn't either. That was the rule. Her friends and the rest of the school were far more casual and game day appropriate, but Ana figured looking polished was something she would always have to do.

"Derrick and Bole almost knocked the Hufflepuff beater off of her broom! Cedric Diggory is going to have to catch the snitch for Hufflepuff to win the game," Lee chanted over the intercom. "And- Slytherin's captain, Flint scores again! That brings the score to 190 to 50."

Ana was so proud of Lucian, he had gone from panicking to playing better than he ever had, and it was reflected in the score. There was a definite possibility that Slytherin could win the game, she thought as she dabbed the sweat off her forehead and brushed her long hair over one of her shoulders. Godric, Lucian must've been burning up with his Quidditch robes.

The Slytherin teams scored a few more goals almost with minimal effort while Hufflepuff was able to squeeze in a couple of their own; however once the snitch was released, it became anyone's game.

"Lads! I think Cedric Diggory has caught sight of the snitch. If they win this game, it would be an incredible victory for the second year seeker!"

And Lee was right, despite how quickly their team was zipping around the pitch, a flash of yellow was right on top of the glimmering gold ball. The Slytherin seeker Higgs was following him; whether he saw the snitch too was unknown, yet the boy trailed Diggory as close as he could.

Meanwhile, Slytherin had scored one last time as the second year dove head down towards the ground at an unthinkable speed. If he were to hit the ground he would flatten like a pancake, and yet he was not slowing down. Everyone was on their feet as they watched the Hufflepuff seeker gain on the tiny ball. Ana, Alex, and Calista were leaning against the post in front of them trying to get a good look, and after one final twist on the broom, the boy had caught the snitch.

The whole pitch erupted in cheers and whoops of excitement at the catch, and yet no one knew the final score. Every teacher, player, and student's pulse was pounding in anticipation. But the final score was the last of their worries.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ana's stomach dropped at the sound of the wooden stadium splintering beneath them and the frantic cries of everyone at the pitch sent a shiver of fear running throughout her body. The three girls dropped to the ground of the Slytherin tower and held onto each other for dear life. No one knew where the booms were coming from, but Ana knew in her gut that they were in danger.


	16. "Blood on Your Hands"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Explosions

Alex grabbed both Ana and Calista by the back of their shirts and held them down at the deafening sound that exploded in the pitch before taking a look at the stadium. Kids were running down the stands, winding their way to the base of the field in a panic, nearly knocking down other students in a stampede. The players were flying either to the ground in an effort to run away or they flew off to hover over the black lake at the sound of the blasts. Even Lee had abandoned his post at the microphone and had ran off somewhere to take cover.

"Stay down! Keep your heads down!" Alex had yelled trying her hardest to not panic at the sight of the stadium, a large fire had erupted below them.

The air was smelling of dark, thick smoke that emitted from the burning Quidditch pitch and Ana got a large gulp of it as she struggled to calm herself. Calista was shaking terribly and Alex held the younger girl tightly against her body, while Ana decided to get a better look at the scene. But before she could do anything a pair of feet landed beside her, arriving through the smoke.

"Is everyone okay?" Lucian yelled as another blast went off somewhere close. A shriek left each of them and Calista started to sob loudly at the explosions while she gripped onto Alex in terror. She couldn't blame the girl, Ana was just better at hiding her feelings.

Behind the boy, Ana could see that the stands were emptying quickly, the banners that signified house pride was burning from the base and rising by the second. And it felt incredibly dumb to be the only ones up there in the Slytherin tower, whereas most of the students were in the wooden stands far below. She didn't know if it was adrenaline or her survival instincts but Ana spoke quickly, before taking a moment to think.

"Lucian!" Ana screamed over the cries of scared students, "Lucian! Take Calista down! She needs to get out of here as soon as possible! Alex and I can get ourselves out!"

BOOM. BOOM. Another set of deafening blasts were let off and the stands rattled again, dropping a few inches beneath their feet.

Calista let out another howl of fear, her face was covered in sweat and tears as her eyes grew more and more swollen from crying. The other three shared looks of understanding; Calista had to be the first to get out. And Lucian would have to leave his sister and Ana behind, which filled him with both dread and disgust.

Time wasn't a luxury at the moment, so Lucian tugged gently at the crying girl as he mounted his broom. She was shaking terribly and her chest heaved as she struggled for air. Ana instructed Calista on how to hold on to the broom, given she had never ridden one before while Alex wiped the girl's tears away and promised her everything would be okay. None of the four wanted to separate from the others, but it was necessary.

"Hold on tight!" Lucian yelled to the crying girl and he took off with a jump as he headed towards the direction of Hagrid's garden. It pained them to see their one-way ticket out of the pitch disappear beyond the cloud of smoke, but neither of them had time to worry. They had to get out now.

Ana and Alex took off in a frenzied sprint, racing down the winding stairs of the tower and jumping over any broken steps. They were the last students to get off their section and as more people were leaving, Ana became alarmingly aware of how badly they had to get out of there. Her fear came in handy at the moment as it made her fast enough to not stumble or get left behind, like riding a broom at high speed. As soon as they left the winding stairs of the tower and landed on the stands, they were hit with another round of blasts.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

The stands beneath them gave out and the Ravenclaw tower next to them collapsed on itself, making a giant hole in the stands only twenty feet from them. Ana and Alex screamed in terror as the wood under their feet gave about five feet, knocking them to the ground and leaving cuts on their dirty skin. 

Another crackle of wood came from directly next to them and suddenly the Slytherin tower that they had just vacated also began to crash inches from the two girls. Ana jumped to her feet and tried dragging Alex away from the falling tower before it got the change to land on the two of them. But she was too late.

Alex let out a bloodcurdling scream as a section of the wooden stands collapsed onto one of Alex's legs. The sound of her friend in pain killed Ana and she was absolutely certain she heard the leg snap. Both ways of exiting the stands were destroyed and the two girls were left stranded on the thirty foot platform with no one left in sight. Ana pulled out her wand and with as much clarity as she could muster she yelled, "Wingardium Leviosa!" and the bit of wood that had crushed Alex's leg gave way, just enough for her to slip her leg out from underneath it.

With all of her strength, Ana was able to pull Alex up to sit on one of the benches as she surveyed the damage. Alex had a deep gash in her leg, and starting from her knee all the way down to her ankle was a deep crimson cut. Ana could tell that Alex was trying to hold it together, but she was red in the face and for the first time in her life, Ana could tell the girl was terrified. For the first time in her life, Alex couldn't fight off what was causing the pain.

Ana's chest tightened as Alex began crying and she knew that she had to get the girl help before she lost too much blood or passed out from the panic. No matter how much Ana wanted to, there was no way she'd be able to carry the girl all by herself.

"Hey!"

Ana let out a sigh of relief at the sound of Lucian's voice who had returned from dropping off Calista at the school grounds. He looked worried as it was but once he caught sight of Alex, he dropped to his knees and held his little sister's hands while she was shaking in fear. It killed Ana to see her two friends like this, and she knew what she had to do.

"Lucian, take your sister!" Ana yelled at the boy who then looked up at her with worried eyes. Ana was bruised and dirty, the sight making him sick to his stomach. And yet, Lucian knew she was right, he had to take care of his baby sister first even if that meant leaving Ana all alone. "You have to get her help, immediately, Lucian," she ordered in a firm tone, despite how terrified she felt on the inside.

He stood up with shaking hands and stared at her with misty eyes, before dejectedly nodding in agreement. The two of them got Alex into a standing position as best they could, Ana supporting her limp leg while Lucian mounted the broom. The girl's eyes started to roll in the back of her head and her body slumped forward so Lucian had to steer with one hand while he held on to his sister with an unyielding grip.

"I'll be back for you!" He promised worriedly, taking one final look at the girl as he began his take off.

"I would hope so!" She called after the boy as he once again sped away from the burning stadium with his sister in hand. Ana smiled at the sight of Alex getting taken care of, but once they left her line of sight, she realized that she was now entirely alone. It was only her now.

She was stranded between two collapsed towers and while there were no more blasts, the stands beneath her were unstable and brittle. Thankfully it remained still as she carefully walked along the aisle. Ana looked at the rest of the stands and she found it incredibly strange that the seats opposite her were in perfect condition. There were no crumbling towers or stands blazing with a violent fire; the damage started from beneath her and was spreading from there. Why it began with Slytherin was a question that she decided she'd dive into when she wasn't standing at the top of a burning wooden structure.

Ana tried to hold out for Lucian to come back for her, but as more smoke filled her lungs than oxygen, she knew that the fires wouldn't stop spreading at her expense. Ana stood tall and serious as she came to the realization that the only person who was going to save her, was herself. She just had to figure out how.

~

"Professor McGonagall! You don't understand! She's stuck in the stands!"

Lucian pleaded with the head of Gryffindor to let him go back to the field to find Ana. After he brought Alex to the Great Hall, where dozens of other students were being treated for similar or even worse injuries, the only thing that was on his mind was going back for the girl. He almost made it out of the make-shift hospital until he was caught by McGonagall.

"I understand that it is not safe for a third year to go flying off on his broom into a stadium that is on fire, Mr. Bole!" McGonagall silenced him with a glare, "We were already made aware of Ms. Malfoy's whereabouts from Ms. Kane. Professor Dumbledore is on his way to help her, but I will not hesitate to deduct fifty points from Slytherin if I find out you left this castle in search of her."

And just like that, Lucian slumped onto one of the tables in the Great Hall in defeat. He couldn't help but tremble in guilt as his shoulders fell in distress and he sobbed violently, not caring who would notice. Calista comforted the boy as they sat beside the pain stricken Alex who was asleep in a cot. Madam Pomfrey gave the girl a hefty sleeping draught to calm her and it took no more than five minutes for the younger Bole to knock out. Calista had started reading her a muggle book that she had on her called "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardobe"; she knew Alex couldn't hear her, but it gave Calista something to do instead of continuously worry about both of her friends.

"She must be terrified," Lucian choked exhaustedly, he was still coughing weakly from all the smoke he had inhaled. His honey brown hair was charred and the usual charming confidence he adorned was replaced with grief and regret. Maybe if he flew faster, he could've gotten Ana, too.

"Everything will be alright," she offered him a smile, even if she knew she couldn't guarantee her claim. "They'll find Ana."

At the sound of her name, two twins darted away from Lee who had also gotten hurt in the attack. However, all the commentator had was a cut on his head, so neither boys felt any remorse when they ditched their dorm mate and snuck away from the crowded hall. Fred and George swerved between the herds of people that were clogging up the corridors, desperately making their way to the school grounds.

"Fred, what's the plan?" George asked his brother as they ran aimlessly towards the pitch.

"Well you heard the snakes!" He gasped as they ran into the blazing sun, inhaling the fragments of their destroyed Quidditch Pitch. "She's stuck on the stands and when we left I noticed that the boy had his broom. So-"

"So, let's go get our brooms, then!" George started running even faster towards the pitch, making a turn for the Gryffindor Quidditch changing rooms. Fred caught up to his brother and they shook at the cage that held all their teams' brooms.

Fred's heart was pounding harder than when he played his first Quidditch game or when he was first sorted last year as a new Hogwarts student. He was still drowning in guilt from their typhoon, which was a genuine mistake, and he was not going to sit back and allow Ana to get hurt again. Not if he could help it. In his panic, Fred was surprised he was even thinking straight at the moment, but he had a goal. And nothing was going to stop him.

George looked around for the key to the brooms while Fred pulled out his wand, ready to break the lock with a spell.

"Okay, Georgie. Here's the plan! You're going to stand guard and th-"

Something small tangled at the base of his feet, distracting the older twin and leaving him confused until he recognized the ashy fur and blood red eyes that looked back at him.

"Well, well, well," a deep looming voice croaked from behind them, scaring the two boys out of their skins. They turned around to see their least favorite person in the whole world, Mr. Filch. And they both knew that they were done for, which meant that once again, he would not be able to help Ana when she needed him the most. He failed.

~

Ana's cheeks grew red as she frantically assessed what remained of her surroundings. No one was coming back for her and every safe option she could use to escape was taken out by the broken towers. She couldn't just wait there since the stands were still burning in various places around her and the smoke was leaving her gasping, wanting for purer air. The stands were eerily quiet as she pulled out her wand and rummaged through her brain for anything useful that could help her at the moment.

Neither her ability to strike up conversations with garden snakes nor bumping into furniture seemed to be of any help, and she doubted any of her herbology or potions skills would come into play. All she had was her wits and her wand, neither seemed promising as she started pacing the stands looking around for an answer.

"Alright, Ana, think," the girl kept muttering to herself as she searched for anything useful. But all she found was wood. Everywhere she looked, all she came across was wood and fire. Splintered, broken, weak wood and an angry blaze that doubled in size every time she looked at it. The stands looked seconds away from breaking down and it would take far too long to extinguish the fire. She'd have to work around the flames. 

Ana paused her anxious pacing and began scrambling through the rubble to look for exactly what she needed. Her head was pounding from the strength of the sun and it left her eyes hazy and dry, but she had a rough plan, and a migraine was not going to stop her. After pulling and pulling at small pieces of the collapsed Slytherin tower, Ana came across a plank of wood that was around the size of her bed. It was long and narrow, but big enough to hold an eleven year old girl she assumed.

With all her might, she grabbed and yanked at the plank despite the sting it caused her skin, but it wouldn't even budge an inch. Her hands were split down the palms by the time she gave up and they bled from the deepness of the cuts. No matter how hard she pulled, the wood was perpetually stuck. But this was what she needed. She had no other plan and based on the creaking of the boards beneath her, there was no time for another brainstorming session.

The conditions around her were worsening so she took a moment to catch her breath. Unable to stand the smoke, she grabbed at the wrist of her sleeve and ripped it clean from the seams at the shoulder. Frantically and with broken palms, Ana wrapped the sleeve around her head so it covered her nose. It wasn't a perfect solution but it did help filter the air that was purely made of sulfur and smoke from entering her lungs.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea came to mind and for the first time in her life she had never been more grateful for Professor Snape. Ana put some space between her and the mountain of lumber and pointed her wand to the rubble, "Accio wood!"

Multiple small pieces of wood came hurtling her way, some crashing into her and some being blasted somewhere behind her. But it was enough. When she got to the large plank, it was no longer stuck and with a final tug, it was free. A harsh crack startled her and she stared at her feet at what remained of the Slytherin stands. It was wobbling and she knew there was no where she could run, so she closed her eyes and waited to fall.

~ 

"Caught red handed," Filch held out his mangy hands to reveal a pile of wrappings before dropping them at the boys' feet. Fred dipped down to pick up the papers and all that was etched on the trash was 'FIREWORKS'. The twins glared at the man with confusion splayed upon their freckly faces.

"Caught? For doing what? What is this?" Fred blurted as he shook the trash in his hands.

The old squib smirked crookedly at the two, enjoying every second of their inevitable downfall. "Professor Dumbledore told me to check all the changing rooms in case a student needed evacuating and what do I find in your changing room, but those," he pointed at the fireworks packaging that Fred was still clinging to.

"Returning to the scene of the crime, boys? You'll regret it, believe me. There is blood on your hands tonight," He croaked as he grabbed them both by the back of their collars and dragged them out of the room and back into the wing of the castle. Neither boy went without a fight as they tried squirming away from the nasty old man but when they were threatened with expulsion they had no choice but to remain silent. George was terrified at the thought of their mother killing them if they were kicked out of school, but Fred's worry lied not back at home, but on the Quidditch field behind him.


	17. The Great Escape

Ana dragged the large plank of wood to the middle of the stands and looked down; there was a good thirty feet between her and the ground at least. Dropping the full thirty feet would not leave her in one piece but she assumed if she could lower herself down slowly, she could make the distance a bit more manageable. It was the only chance she had.

Unable to waste another second, Ana propped the plank of wood against a bit of railing that hadn't been destroyed and she held out her wand. This was either going to work or she'd be too dead to remember the experience so this was worth the shot. Ana took one final second, breathing in and breathing out through the emerald sleeve that wrapped around her nose and mouth. Before she lost her nerve she pushed the wood off the rail and let it fall a few good feet.

"Wingardium Leviosa Maxima!" 

The wooden plank levitated about ten feet off the ground, leaving about twenty feet between the floating platform and herself. It wobbled a bit due to the flames that were still burning at the base of the stands, but the piece of wood never rose and it never fell.

"Yes!" Ana screamed in excitement which resulted in a coughing fit, she had to celebrate the tiny victory by herself. She repeated this step, finding a decently sized bit of broken tower and levitating it until she finished creating her own floating staircase made entirely of the tower's ruins. The path was laid out in front of her, steps perfectly placed and she knew that all she had left to do was jump. The idea made sense in theory, but now she actually had to put her faith in whatever unconventional escape plan she conjured. It was bound to fail but she knew she had to go before she lost her nerve.

Ana held onto the railing with all her might, as she climbed over, leaning her weight on a very unstable stadium wall. With a gasp, she hurled her body away from the wall and landed on the first bit of wood. Her legs shook from impact and nerves, but it held her up. A flicker of hope grew in her chest, so she began to jump from step to step, the adrenaline giving her the push she needed to leap between the hovering planks. Ana was halfway down the distance, the last jump was onto the largest bit of wood and she took a deep breath before she made the final leap.

When she landed, it gave out from underneath her.

The sudden loss of stable footing caused her to land on her stomach, holding onto the wood until it crashed to the ground. Her face smacked against the splintered door; the taste of metal filled her mouth as blood dripped down her chin. She refused to move, despite how much closer she now was to the flames. But she didn't care. Ana allowed her bloody and scabby hands to graze the grass beneath her. It was absurd and would probably seem delusional if heard from anyone else, but Ana flipped onto her back and let out a bellowing laugh. Every part of her body ached, and her lungs were begging for clean air, but she didn't care. She needed to laugh and to cough up whatever smoke resided in her chest. She needed to hear something other than the sound of her pulse in her ears.

"Ms. Malfoy."

Ana sat up quickly, to see the headmaster gazing down at her like she was taking a casual nap, instead of really reveling at the fact that she wasn't dead. He smiled warmly at her and held out a thin hand for her. She brought herself to her knees, hissing as her sore hands scrapped against the wooden plank and she shakily got up on her own. The headmaster retracted his hand, placing them behind his back as they slowly made their way out of the pitch. Ana took one look back, seeing the debris of the collapsed towers and the stands which were still tangled in the fiery flames. It barely registered in her mind that she just escaped that scene; it was a truly terrifying scene.

She couldn't believe her plan worked. It was juvenile and poorly thought out, but it worked.

"I must say that was a fascinating plan you had there, Ms. Malfoy. Using 'Wingardium Leviosa' was ingenious," the older man reflected as he strolled so calmly away from the burning stands.

Ana hadn't even noticed he was there. She was, as he pointed out himself, too busy devising some way to save herself. Something about Dumbledore analyzing her escape felt uneasy to Ana.

"I'm sorry, sir," she began to stare at her damaged hands which were now stinging every time she moved her fingers, "Did you watch what I did back there?"

"Oh, yes. The whole thing."

Ana's chest swarmed with a simmering anger that she had to force herself to keep it in check. The headmaster, who was seemingly in charge of the school watched her as she was struggling and panicking and getting hurt. He did absolutely nothing while she was on the verge of a mental breakdown or collapsing from smoke inhalation.

"Why didn't you help me, professor?" she asked, hoping her frustration was hidden by her stone cold face.

He turned at her with a soft smile; why the man was smiling at a time like this made Ana incredibly confused. The man continued to walk quickly with her who was covered from head to toe in soot, sweat, and blood. His deep maroon robes were practically pristine compared to her tattered and burnt clothes.

"I was curious as to what you would do, Ms. Malfoy."

She remained silent. There was not one single remark she thought would accurately describe to the man just how upset she was without outright screaming at the man. Ana never would, but the thought was incredibly appealing at the moment.

"Ana," He stopped walking and turned to her as soon as they made it inside the castle.

Ana let out a labored breath as she unwrapped the sleeve from around her mouth. Her hair was plastered to her head in sweat that trickled down her neck; she had just spent a whole afternoon among fires on an already hot summer day. All she wanted was to see her friends and take a shower but she had a feeling that wouldn't happen anytime soon.

"It's one thing to learn magic. It's an entirely different thing to use it. Might I say you were incredibly resourceful, using what was broken and making it have serve another purpose? Remarkable."

He was proud of her, she realized. She never really thought about the plan in depth, she was desperate and clung onto the first idea that seemed possible. But it was true, she thought quickly and innovatively even under pressure. Ana relaxed a bit at the praise, but she wouldn't have minded getting a little help from the headmaster.

"Also! I heard you using the Accio charm," he commented with a hint of awe. "That is not taught until fourth year, so tell me. How did you come to learn that spell, Ana?"

Her face curled into a tiny smile, remembering that the blasted book Snape gave her that put so much tension between her and her friends. It ended up saving her butt. Ana knew reading excessively would come in handy. "I learned about it in a book that I borrowed from Professor Snape," she explained. "Otherwise, I don't know. I would've had to think of another plan."

"But you remembered it. You used it when you needed it the most," he reassured, as he laced his spindly fingers together. "That's all we want. Is for students to learn and apply what they learn. Just like you did back there on the pitch."

Ana's body was growing more relaxed, the compliments tinting her skin in a soft pink from the man's kind words. She became more and more aware of the pain at her palms, they were turning a bruised purple and the blood had cracked more than once which would leave her grimacing at the sting. Professor Dumbledore also noticed her condition, and brought her further into the castle.

"What you did was quite impressive for a student, let alone a first year, Ms. Malfoy," Dumbledore hummed. "And for that I want to award Slytherin forty house points."

The girl perked up at the man's words; she was trying to decide whether or not her injuries were worth the points. But she thought about how excited her friends would look at the news and figured she'd take the glory. She could handle the pain.

~  
It was later in the night; everyone was absolutely exhausted and defeated as most of the student body sat in the Great Hall, some clean and some still covered in ash and sweat. It was a long day for everyone, but no one had it as bad as the students who were actually injured in the explosions. Most students had simple scrapes and bruises while some were laid on cots with splints, casts, and braces holding them together. It was as if they had just been in an epic war, and the mere thought of having to go through something like that made Ana's stomach twist in disgust.

Whoever started this was a menace, Ana judged as she observed the injuries her friends had accumulated from the day. Alex was laying on a cot that was situated on top of the Slytherin table with her left leg in a bright blue cast. Although it looked terribly uncomfortable, Calista had climbed up beside her friend and the two of them were sharing the tiny mattress with her children's book forgotten. Thankfully Madam Pomfrey had given the girl a potion to help quicken the healing time on her bones, but the cast was precautionary. Ana guessed that Alex would be more annoyed about having to walk around with the cast than the fact that her leg was actually broken.

Meanwhile, Lucian was sat at the typical Slytherin benches, he had gone to take a shower hours ago but returned as soon as he was done to stay with his sister. Even when he was informed she'd be asleep the whole time, Lucian was not going to leave Alex's side. After the anxiety attack he had that morning, the pressure of playing the Quidditch Final, and having to rescue two girls from a burning stadium, Lucian had passed out as soon as he knew Alex was going to be okay. The only injuries he had accumulated were a few bruises from the game and some minor burns, but nothing too serious. He was otherwise perfect; the boy was slumped over with his wet curly hair dripping on the table as he rested his head in his arms. 

And then there was Ana, who had extremely minimal injuries considering she was the last person off the pitch. Her palms were split down the middle from thumb to pinky from trying to pry at splintered wood and her lip was bruised and bleeding after she smacked her jaw on the door when she crash landed. Both injuries would heal after a few days and she was wrapped and bandaged by Madam Pomfrey. She absolutely despised how beaten up Alex was physically and how scarred Lucian and Calista were mentally. Everyone was broken in some way.

She had spent the last hour sitting with her friends; Ana planned on keeping Lucian company but he fell asleep far too fast for them to even talk. The majority of the Great Hall was also asleep and she assumed she should be too, but her heightened nerves sabotaged any chance at her getting any sort of rest. Ana was sitting, with her back straight as she looked around for any other injuries.

None of the Weasley's were in the room and Ana began to wonder where the red-headed bunch could be. A part of her was relieved; if they weren't here, then they all must've walked away scratch free. Angelina was sitting with Lee, cross legged on top of the Gryffindor table with Oliver Wood who looked like he saw a ghost as his eyes were wide open and he hadn't blinked in minutes. They all had minimal bruises and they all still looked dirty, but otherwise their smiles told her they would be alright.

A sudden concern made Ana spring out of her seat; Aeron must've had no idea what had happened if he was cooped up in his dorm all day. She didn't want to leave her friends behind, but someone had to clue Aeron in to the terrifying events of the day. After everything, Ana needed someone to vent to. With a final glance as her sleepy friends, Ana quickly maneuvered through all the other sleeping or injured bodies until she was standing in the main corridor. She began to hurry towards the dungeons when a gentle call of her name brought her to a halt.

"Ms. Malfoy, can you come with me please?" Professor McGonagall sung from a distance away. Ana hesitated for a second, her plan was to go see Aeron and take a shower before the soot seeped into her skin. But if the head of Gryffindor house needed her, than she assumed it was for a good reason. Ana nodded at her professor and followed the witch without another word.

Professor McGonagall brought the girl to a tower that she had visited before, the floor they wandered to led her to the entrance of Professor Dumbledore's office. Why she was being taken to the headmaster's office was unusual to the young girl, and she began to wonder if she was in trouble for something.

"Jelly Slugs."

The gargoyle statue gave way, rotating at a slow speed and before Ana could second guess her decision, she and Professor McGonagall were standing at the opening of the office. The air in the office was cooler than the rest of the castle and Ana relaxed at the gentle breeze that circulated around her. She trudged her way to the headmaster's desk, but stopped halfway when she saw who was waiting for her.

Seated in front of the headmaster were three Weasleys: Fred, George and Charlie, meanwhile Percy was no where to be seen. All of them looked positively horrible, although she assumed she didn't look any better. But as she shuffled closer, she could tell that the twins had been crying. Their swollen red eyes matched the color of their hair and the dirt that covered their faces mirrored the dread in their expression. She had never seen the boys so distraught and it made her forget for a second that she was supposed to be mad at them.

"Ah! Ms. Malfoy, so glad you could join us," Professor Dumbledore hummed in appreciation as he gestured for the girl to sit beside the boys. She looked nervously at the family who looked dulled down from their usual lively self, but she didn't know what business she had being here.

When she sat down beside the twins, Ana could feel multiple pairs of eyes on her. The sudden attention made her sit high, trying to appear composed despite looking equally as disheveled as the boys. But she'd never let them know uncomfortable she felt.

"Ana, I would like for you to know that the twins have been accused of the explosions today."

Ana's head snapped in the direction of the boy's at the headmaster's statement, her heart began to pound faster at the idea of the twins being so reckless again. Fred dipped his head lowly at the accusation and George went to rub at his sniffling nose. Charlie stood behind them and held onto their shoulders like he usually did whenever the three of them together. His face was harder to read.

"Why have they been accused?" Ana asked emotionlessly.

Professor Dumbledore sighed deeply, the boys were silent and still as they waited for the slander to begin. He explained to the girl how Mr. Filch had caught the boys sneaking off to the Gryffindor changing rooms and how there were left over fireworks wrappers in the same room. As the man recalled the story, Fred slumped in his chair as he held his arms close to his chest like he was trying to give himself a hug.

The longer Ana listened to the man, the more confused she got. It didn't make sense, she thought. Sure, since the latest prank where the twins drastically went overboard, she couldn't picture the two of them blowing up the Quidditch stands.

"And the reason I called you is because I wanted to know if you think the boys are capable of doing something like this."

"I'm sorry, Professor Dumbledore, but why does it matter if I think whether or not they're capable of doing this?" She asked delicately. Ana didn't want to come off as rude, but she didn't feel like it was her place to speak about something that didn't involve her.

"The twins said that they didn't do it, and given the circumstances, I'm inclined to think that they are to blame," he began explaining. "But both the boys said that I should ask for your opinion on it. They seem to think you'll take their side, Ms. Malfoy."

That's what it was; the twins figured they could use her as an escape. After all the pranks they had pulled on her, Ana couldn't see why they'd put their future in her hands. They must've been truly desperate if she was their saving grace. And from the absolute empty and broken looks on all three boys, she knew that she was truly their only hope.

"So, I must ask. Do you trust them?"

Did she trust them? If asked a few months ago when Fred had given her his mittens, or when they spared her of their pranks when she was hurt by Professor Trewlawney, she would have said that she did trust them. They were troublesome and annoying, but she could see that they were good people.

However, she wasn't sure who they were anymore. Being pelted with paper birds on her birthday and attacked with a storm on the Astronomy Tower was another level of mischief that crossed the line from harmless to just plain cruel. Ana didn't know why the twins flipped on her so quickly, but it scared her. She was scared about what the twins were capable of.

Slytherin and Gryffindor had an ongoing rivalry; Ana knew that. And since Gryffindor lost the chance of getting the Quidditch Cup, they would've had a reason to try and take Slytherin out of the game. Not to mention, they were caught at the scene of the crime by Filch.

All of the pieces fell into place. She knew her answer.

"No," Ana answered with a level of unwavering certainty. "I do not trust them."


	18. The Final Days

At the sound of the verdict, Fred's head snapped to stare at Ana in astonishment; her face was stone cold once again and it sent a shiver down his spine. He couldn't believe that he had actually screwed up so badly that the girl he wanted to make smile on the train didn't trust him. But he couldn't blame her. He probably wouldn't trust someone like himself either. Neither rage nor resentment filled his chest, only disappointment. He stared at the young Slytherin girl's hands which were bandaged and sore and the sight of dried blood on her chin made him hate whoever did that to her. It made him sick to his stomach.

Ana didn't deserve it. What he had done to her in the past had been bothering him for weeks. Every night he went to bed and stared at the map and every time he was disappointed to see that the Astronomy Tower was empty. He would've preferred to see Ana and Aeron studying right now than to know that his actions drove her away. It's too late, he thought.

George sighed loudly and shook his head as he surrendered to her verdict. Charlie, unable to think of his little brothers' fates turned away from them all entirely and retreated to the back of the office to pace the room.

They were going to be expelled, Fred knew this. Godric, all he could think about was how they were going to be murdered by their mother. However, he didn't have enough time to panic because Ana began speaking again.

"I don't trust them," she repeated as if she was trying to convince herself about what she was about to say next, "but I trust my gut."

Dumbledore stared at the girl patiently, yet intensely, this was not how he expected this meeting to go at all. To be honest, he assumed the young girl would've immediately jumped at the chance to get rid of the two boys. Despite how much she disliked them at the current moment, the idea of assuming they were to blame didn't sit well with her. The boys were annoying and reckless and incredibly confusing. She hated how Fred was so irritating and she hated how George enabled his brother. But they weren't evil.

"My gut says that they didn't do it. Could they have? Sure. But I cannot say that they did it."

She trusted her judgement far too much to hold her grudge. When she looked at the twins, she couldn't picture them setting off fireworks on the student body and then being stupid enough to get caught. The boys were a lot of things but dumb wasn't one of them.

"So once again, you do not think they did it, Ms. Malfoy?"

Against her better judgement, she gazed at the twins and their older brother who had popped his head back in. Charlie and George looked at her like she was their savior which she was depending on what Dumbledore was going to do with her input. But Fred looked at her like he was scared of her. His brown eyes were wide with worry and she had never seen him so antsy; the chairs were shaking with how hard he was bouncing his leg. She had never seen him look so nervous before; and he should be, she thought. Her showing mercy right now was as selfless as she assumed she'd ever be again.

"I do not think they did it. The twins are outlandishly aggravating to me," she said with a light chuckle, "and yet, I would bet this wasn't them."

Silence filled the air and Ana began to wonder what time it was. Her eyes were growing heavy even under the bright lights that Dumbledore insisted on having in his office. It had been an excruciatingly long day and all Ana wanted was to go take a shower and fall into a deep sleep. Perhaps she wouldn't even need her dreamless sleep potion with how tired she was. 

Dumbledore dipped his head in acknowledgement and he stood up in front of the four students. "Boys, given the circumstances, I am worried I cannot let you go without some sort of punishment." Before the boys could get sadder, the headmaster continued. "For sneaking out of the Great Hall, I am afraid I will have to deduct twenty five house points from Gryffindor. Fifty since you come in a pair," he joked which seemed inappropriate given the circumstances.

"So, they're not expelled?" Charlie clasped his rough looking hands on his brothers' shoulders, rubbing them soothingly. All of them were alert and hanging onto every word that came from the old wizard.

"Not for this at least."

Enormous collective sighs escaped the Weasleys' mouths at the news; George giggled in relief and Fred ran his fingers through his dirty soot covered hair. Both of them turned to the young girl who just spared them and the widest smiles graced their tired features. They looked at her like she saved their life, and to a certain extent she did, but Ana didn't want to dwell on it too much.

All of them, herself included, desperately needed to shower and get to bed. Ana didn't even want to begin to guess what time it was, not to mention she still had to find Aeron and tell him what happened. There was no need for her to be here anymore.

"Professor, would you mind if I headed to my dormitory?" the young girl asked. "I would awfully like to go to bed."

At Ana's request, the headmaster dismissed the young girl from his office and wished her a good night, the whole time the three boys watched her with appreciative and indebted smiles. Before anyone else could get a word in, Ana exited the office and began making her way to the Slytherin common room. The boys looked dreadful, and it only reminded her of how badly her own hair stunk of smoke and grime. It was incredible how long this one day seemed compared to all the others and Ana just wanted her friends.

The familiarity of her dorm brought her unbelievable comfort and she quickly took her shower, making sure to be careful around her sliced palms and cut lip. This year was absolutely brutal to her; Professor Trelawney, the storm, and now the flaming Quidditch Pitch fiasco hurt her in more ways than one. Her hands traced the healed scars on her shoulders and she massaged shampoo over the permanent bump that rested at the crown of her head, trying to clean away not only the dirt but the memory of it all.

The shower took longer than normal considering it was the first time she had felt relaxed all day. Ana brushed out her long hair, not even caring if it was still wet, and threw on clean clothes. Her four poster bed looked so inviting, but there was no way she was going to spend the night alone in her dark dorm. As the night grew darker, the lake made their room feel like a tiny fishbowl; it was beautiful but at times suffocating. With a moment of hesitation, Ana grabbed Calista's rabbit stuffed animal, some blankets, and her sleep potion before heading back down to the Great Hall.

Every step Ana took, she could feel the soreness in her muscles and she slightly limped up the stairs from the dungeon, the soles of her feet were aching. Snores and quiet whispers filled the room which made Ana yawn. The Great Hall's light was dimmed and the only source of warmth were from the torches on the wall and the floating candles that hovered highly above every sleeping student. It looked gorgeous despite the bleeding and broken children that covered every surface, but Ana didn't want to focus on that anymore.

When she reached her friends she could see that Alex and Calista were still peacefully sleeping next to each other on their cot. Calista's hair was poking in every direction and Alex was slightly drooling onto her thin pillow. She was happy to see the girls so at ease, and she placed Calista's rabbit in Alex's arms and even in her sleep, the girl snatched the animal and held it tight to her heart. With sore arms, Ana unfolded a blanket and delicately draped it over her friends.

Lucian began to stir at the slight movements Ana was making and he lifted his head, his pale blue eyes squinting as he was awaken from an already broken sleep.

"No, go back to bed, Lucy," Ana encouraged quietly as she walked behind him and placed a blanket on his shoulders. It was a thin blanket, but he wrapped it around himself like a cape and used some of the fabric as a pillow for his head.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as he peered up at her from where his head was once again placed on the table. The position looked awfully terrible for his neck and she anticipated it would be messed up once the sun rose in the morning. Lucian stared at her in worry, he hadn't had the chance to talk to her since before the whole attack.

"I'm okay, got a few scrapes but who didn't?" she answered softly, trying to hide her hands since she knew he would worry about just how hurt she was.

His face slowly formed into a deep frown, his tired eyes looked at the girl with intense remorse, "I'm so sorry I didn't help you, Ana. I feel horrible about it all."

"It's fine, Lucian," she comforted him as she used her pajama sleeve to cover her split lip. 

"But it's really not, Ana. I told you I would come back for you and I didn't! I left you alone, Ana."

He sniffled quietly and Ana figured if there was a bit more light in the room, she would see him holding back tears. Ana looked at the boy and for a moment; he looked far younger than the confident beater who had been dominating the Quidditch Finals only a few hours ago. God she hated seeing her friends so sad, her heart ached for him because she didn't blame him for what happened. The boy was exhausted in every way so Ana decided to change the topic.

"I've got some good news though, if you can believe it."

His brows raised in shock because what good could've possibly come from the day? He settled into his blanket even further, wiped his runny nose, and Ana too unwrapped a blanket and cuddled within its warmth. She sat closer to him and offered him a gentle smile.

"I may have won Slytherin some house points," she smirked, "forty to be exact."

And just like that, the older boy smiled wide and he began to bombard her with questions about how she got out of the Quidditch pitch. The longer she told her tale of survival, he marveled at her quick thinking and complimented her ingenuity at every new bit of information she revealed to him. His eyes glowed at the girl, the irises no longer hazy but bright like a sapphire; even if it was getting later and later in the night.

By this point, the rest of the Great Hall was silent, the only sound that could be heard were snores and groans of discomfort. She once again had no idea what time it was, but Ana's energy began to falter and she couldn't stop herself from yawning every other minute. Being with Lucian was the only reason for her staying up, but even he was starting to crave even a mediocre night's rest.

"Just go to bed, Ana," he urged kindly as he smiled lazily. "I'll still be here in the morning."

And with his encouragement, which he didn't have to do too much of to begin with, Ana pulled out her potion and administered herself a single drop. Lucian wondered what that potion was, but his dwindling energy was opposing his curiosity.

The last thing Ana could remember before falling asleep was the sound of the older boy's voice wishing her to have pleasant dreams. If she weren't so sleepy she would have snarkily remarked that dreams were the absolute last thing she'd be having. But before she had the chance, her body relaxed against the top of the Slytherin table as she drifted off to sleep.

It took Lucian a second longer, so he watched the girl's nose twitch slightly as the lines on her forehead and between her brows disappeared, her shoulders were completely at ease. Before falling asleep himself, he made sure her blanket was on her snuggly and then succumbed to his own fatigue.

~

The week that followed the attack at the Quidditch Pitch, the last week of her first year, was positively dreadful. Most of the student body was either in crutches or bandaged from head to toe; there was not a single person that was left unfazed from the attack. The remains of the stadium stood like a horrific monument that honored their fear and pain, even with the plans set in motion to repair it, no one wanted to even think about Quidditch.

And that bitterness made the results of the final match all the worse for the rest of school. Despite the fact that Cedric Diggory caught the snitch, the Slytherin chasers scored enough points to beat out the one hundred fifty points the seeker got the Gryffindor team. Slytherin was excited of course, they won the Quidditch Cup, but the idea of celebrating wasn't even on their minds. Except for Marcus Flint, he cheered around the other houses any chance he could get, which inevitably would make things worse for all of Slytherin. He was making the whole house look bad with his giant ego and sore winner attitude, and Ana couldn't wait for the day she could escape him.

What happened was terrible and she was worried for the school, but that wasn't the only issue troubling her. Ana didn't even get a chance to see Aeron. His stomach pain had worsened so bad that he had to be taken to St. Mungos; at least that's what he told her in the letter he sent her. She found it so strange that Madam Pomfrey couldn't do anything for his pain when she had the ability to grow bones in a few days. Instead of asking him loads of questions, she replied asking if she could visit him in the hospital during summer break. Ana sent out that letter a few days ago; she had yet to get an answer.

It was the final dinner, everyone was seated at their house table, and the feast had begun. Alex was eating with her hands while shoving her fork down her cobalt blue cast to try and get an inch; in her other hand was a dinner roll. Lucian laughed at his sister's frustration which only made the younger Bole more annoyed. She flared her nostrils like a wild dragon as she growled and gave up on scratching her leg. It at least gave Calista and Ana a good laugh. They desperately needed one.

"I am going to lose my mind! I swear to Merlin, Lucian, if you don't stop laughing!" Alex had begun shouting at her brother in a fiery rage, and all he could do was giggle quietly as he tried to hold back his laughter. The boy failed, his warm skin grew red the harder he laughed at his sister's dramatic display.

Alex was about to launch her bread at the boy, but Calista's challenging glare was enough for the injured girl to stop. With a dejected sigh, she grunted and stuffed the dinner roll in her mouth which made Calista smile and chuckle quietly.

Ana would miss this. She would miss Alex acting out, Calista trying to reel her in, and Lucian being the glue of the group. Even Aeron grew to be someone she enjoyed having around even though he was a tougher nut to crack. This dynamic was something that was special to her, it was what she looked forward to seeing every morning and what she thought about when falling asleep. As she thought about having to say goodbye to it, her throat tightened and she could feel the corners of her eyes creating little tears. Her nose began to wiggle as she picked at her strawberries; it was all she could stomach at the moment.

Alex and Calista were talking about muggle music, a conversation that Ana wanted to take part in, but she knew that her attention span wouldn't allow her. She wanted to talk to Lucian, but she feared if she were to start speaking that her voice would give away just how upset she felt. Ana hummed quietly to herself, not a song she knew, just a few notes to keep her mind and body focused on anything but her thoughts. She would take a bite, hum as she listened to her friends and repeat. The rest of the evening went by quickly; everyone around her was preoccupied in their conversations about how they would spend their summer and how they were excited to return in September.

Near the end of the dinner, Dumbledore stood at the front of the Hall and began his closing speech. Ana tried focusing on what the man was saying, but her mind thought back to the Manor and how long and lonely the summer would be. At least she would have Draco.

As she nibbled on her food, her gray eyes ventured to the Gryffindor table. She didn't want to care about how the lions were doing at this moment, but there was some sort of gravitational pull that brought her attention there, regardless of how annoyed or frustrated she was with the boys.

Fred and George were huddled together, looking far cleaner than they did the last time she saw them in Dumbledore's office. Their fiery hair was bright and shiny again as were their smiles which made her both happy and angry. As far as Ana knew, they could've been the ones to blow up the pitch, even if the little hopeful voice in the back of her mind condemned that idea. She wondered if they were still sorry for all the things they did to her this year, and yet she had a sneaking suspicion that she was dwelling on it more than the boys ever would. Perhaps they truly weren't meant to be friends.

The more Ana thought about that harsh reality, her head dipped lowly, unable to keep looking at her friends that got away.

"Hey, blondie. You doing okay?" Lucian dipped his head closer to hers as he began to carefully cut his food into tiny perfectly sized portions while he attempted to listen to the headmaster.

As the older boy asked the question, the Slytherin table exploded in cheers and pride; everyone jumped up in excitement and it scared the hell out of Ana. Meanwhile, the remainder of the school clapped half-heartedly with scowls on their faces. It seemed that Slytherin had won the house cup. Ana knew she should be standing up and cheering with the rest of her house, but all she could manage was to sit in her seat and continue eating. Lucian did that same as she did, not wanting her to feel alone at that moment.

From across the hall, two boys focused on the young girl who sat with impossibly straight posture and a plastic smile that never fully reached her eyes. Fred sighed heavily as he thought about the last time they were in the same room together. She had a split lip, a bruised jaw, and countless other injuries and it annoyed him that even while she was in obvious pain, she never acknowledged it. A few months ago, when they were near each other, she at least was able to relax around him. But recently, she was hard as stone and emotionless around the boys. It frustrated the older twin to no end; he just wanted to be able to read her. But she wouldn't allow it.

Ana looked up and her eyes met a pair of chocolate brown ones. Neither went to smile or sneer at the other. They just kept that connection as the rest of the Great Hall was jumping joyfully or begrudgingly clapping, the young boy and girl were only focused on each other. It was equal parts comforting and unsettling, and Ana's heart began to pound deeper in her chest the longer his eyes were on hers.

Fred was just happy to get this much attention from her without feeling guilty in return. As everyone around him clapped, a genuine part inside him too was celebrating this tiny victory. He finally got her to acknowledge him; a tiny smile spread across his freckly face while his eyes looked longingly at the girl. She didn't return the smile, but she didn't look away and that was enough for him.

Their connection was eventually broken when the rest of the Hall stood up, and George hooked his arm around Fred's shoulder while Lucian instructed Ana out of the hall. Dinner had ended, as did the speech, and the House Cup celebration. Neither had recognized how long they were not paying attention to the rest of the hall, but long enough to have the night end in the meantime. Both went to bed that night, one high up in a tower and the other beneath the Black Lake, yet both of them fell asleep with gentle smiles on their faces.

~

Hogwarts Express felt very different this time around. For starters, Ana wasn't feeling a sense of overwhelming awe or excitement, she was weighed down with pain. Leaving her friends for months was causing Ana to sit quietly and stare out the window as the gorgeous landscape flew past her like a supercut that replayed her first year back to her. She was happy to see Draco, but the Manor was cold and quiet, the complete opposite of Hogwarts.

Alex, Calista, and Lucian were playing a game of gobstones on the ground, which seemed pointless since their little stones would roll whichever way they wanted as the train swayed and twisted on the tracks. But Ana found it incredibly funny when Alex would lose and the pebble would spit out a putrid stink at her. It didn't make the compartment smell very good, but Ana wasn't going to complain during her last few hours with her friends.

She wished Aeron were here, too. Unfortunately he hadn't answered any more of her letters all during the week and his unknown condition only worried Ana even more. Maybe she said or did something to upset him, but no matter how hard she rummaged through her memories, she couldn't think of a reason for him to ignore her. He wasn't super vulnerable with many people, but she thought she was making some leaps and bounds with the boy.

Ana continued to relieve her first year in her mind when a tiny little paper bird landed on her crisscrossed lap. She popped her head up to see that no one had noticed the origami offering that had entered the compartment. It was red and a little bit dirty, but pretty. As she admired the intricate folds of the trinket, she noticed that there was writing on the inside of it.

"Have a wicked summer. Or don't. But do. Well, try to at least.

Also, thank you for trusting your gut. It wasn't wrong :)

-Freddie"

It was simple and not the most coherent message she had ever received from the boy, but Ana understood why the note was so confusing. She too was confused over everything that was going on between her and the twins. Ana felt like whenever she was sure of where she stood with them, something would completely flip that belief upside down. It was frustrating, irritating, and exhausting.

And she figured she should throw this little bird out the window, test out if it could actually fly. But instead she tucked it into her robes, keeping it safe as she peered out the window once more. Second year couldn't come any sooner.


	19. St. Mungos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of injuries and displays of insanity

"Dear Ana,

I hope your summer has been going well since the last time we talked! Alex and I miss you like crazy. But if you were wondering, I did do as you asked. So I talked to my dad to check in on Aeron during his shifts at the hospital. Apparently, the boy isn't taking any visitors right now besides his uncle for obvious reasons. I've also asked my dad if he looked alright and he wouldn't answer. Said that he couldn't talk about it because of "patient confidentiality". I'm sorry. I know you have been wondering about him since he's been in there. Hopefully he gets back to you soon. Please don't over think this though, it wasn't your fault.

Either way, I can't wait to see you in a few weeks. Tell Draco I say hi!

-Lucy goosey

(P.S. Thanks for sending over those treats for my birthday, even though Alex did eat most of the candies herself.)"

Ana dropped the letter dejectedly as she laid back on her pressed white sheets. She had been religiously sending letters to Aeron since the end of term. Every day the manor's owl would deliver her messages and whenever the bird returned, Ana was disappointed to see that the bird brought nothing back. Day after day, she hoped that she would hear something but she was starting to lose hope.

It was now the middle of an excruciatingly hot summer and the air was humid and sticky which Ana hated more than anything. Her long hair would plaster itself to her neck and no amount of fanning herself or showering made her feel any better, so she sulked in the uncomfortableness quietly. Draco on the other hand was incredibly loud about his discomfort. He would run up and down the halls complaining about the heat to Dobby while simultaneously making it worse for himself by sprinting around the Manor, but Ana was going to let him learn the hard way.

The only comfort she had was messaging her friends and spending time in the greenhouses with her mother. Both Malfoy ladies would move around in a gentle silence, snipping away at tiny stalks and moving plants into prime placement when they needed more sunlight than others. It reminded Ana of her time helping Professor Sprout and if she closed her eyes, she could pretend she was there instead. But no matter how hard she imagined a different scenario, she would open her eyes to be reminded of where she truly was and it hurt her heart every time she did it.

"Bibiana, can you hand me that dropper?" Her mother whispered calmly to Ana.

Her black and blonde hair was pulled up high on her head in an attempt to keep cool and she was dressed down in a pair of overalls and a thin collared shirt. All the while dirt was caked under her finger nails. Ana knew in a few hours when her father would come home from work that her mother would change her attire into something more appropriate, but this image of her mother was her favorite.

Ana fulfilled her mother's request and her mind wandered back to the Aeron situation. It killed her knowing that he was still at St. Mungo's and he didn't want to see her. She knew they weren't the closest of friends from the jump, but god, Ana grew to miss the friendship they were creating. The pain was starting to get to her and unfortunately, no matter how much she brought it up to her friends, there was no way for them to help since they were all in the same boat.

"Mum?" Ana stuttered before her better judgement could hold her tongue.

Her mother hummed in response and maintained her focus on the plant in front of her that she was extracting a sap from.

"Have you ever had someone ignore you for no reason?"

Her mother's hands paused their work as she turned to her daughter, she didn't say anything but Ana knew that behind the woman's usual straight face she was considering the question. Ana dabbed a drip of sweat away from her forehead as she went to work on her own plants. It wasn't a typical thing for any Malfoy to ask questions, especially neither of the kids so Ana wanted to lessen the pressure on her mother by remaining as relaxed as possible.

"My sister and I no longer speak," her mother's voice held an inkling of sorrow in it. Whatever happened caused her a great amount of pain.

"Did you ever try to get in touch with her again?" Ana was testing the waters, wavering into unchartered territory, but she needed someone to talk to. She was out of options.

Her mother picked up her plants and moved closer to Ana, and as she observed her mother Ana noticed just how tense the woman's shoulders were. Perhaps Ana should have kept quiet. But when her mother peered down at her daughter with a gentle yet aching expression, Ana knew she wasn't in trouble for her questions. Her mother was nervous.

"I wanted to," her mother sighed sadly as she focused on pricking the plant in the correct spot with her syringe. "My sister, Andromeda, disagreed with a lot of what our father believed in. She went behind the family's wishes to go off and do what she wanted."

"Why didn't you try talking to her?" Ana kept going despite knowing that shutting up entirely would have been smarter.

Her mother once again hesitated as she debated her own words and how much she was willing to share with her daughter. The sun suddenly seemed to be even hotter than it had been a few minutes ago, and Ana's mother wiped her cheek with a rag that was tucked in her overalls.

"It would not have been smart for me to try and talk to her," she said plainly. "But why are you asking me all of this, Ana? What is on your mind?"

Ana wavered for a moment; she was worried her mother would find her predicament dumb or childish, but there was no one left to ask. For the following hour, Ana went over her history with the Slytherin boy who was ignoring her for months. Her mother sat silently and nodded in understanding as Ana relived her confusion. They were busying their hands with their plants while spending quality time going over the situation and the longer Ana talked, she found that her mother was also a wonderful listener. Maybe she didn't have to pretend she was with Professor Sprout after all.

By the time the two of them were done, the summer sun had slowly began to lower into the horizon and the sky turned gorgeous shades of jewel tones, glimmering with the promise of a few stars. Time had escaped them as they sat and divulged their stories in the greenhouse. They had started closing shop when her mother caught the time; father was coming home soon.

"Ana, perhaps we can go to St. Mungo's tomorrow," her mother suggested as she cleaned down her work station and swept the dirt off the wooden table. "Aeron may be too scared to talk to you, but there's a chance he may want to talk to you once he sees you. Would you like that?"

Her mother was strutting at a hurried pace out of the garden and back to the Manor, making sure to not track any dirt onto the stone foyer while Ana trailed behind her. She was just excited that her mother was understanding of her worry and for the rest of the day, the young girl's mind was only on the trip she was going to take to see her friend. Hopefully when he saw her, he would let her in. It was naïve to assume he'd want to see her, and yet she didn't dare dull down her faith in their friendship.

~

Ana made sure she woke up bright and early the next morning; she dipped her head back to take her medicine then placed the vial next to her Dreamless Sleep Potion. Professor Snape was nice enough to give her a giant batch of the potion so she would have it all summer long, and every night before bed she would take a single drop of the potion and that was it. No more bloody nightmares woke her or terrorized her thoughts, she only experienced pitch black night's sleep. It was beautiful.

She wished Snape had given her a potion for nervousness, her knees were buckling as she put on her tiny heels. The damned shoes didn't help with her clumsiness, but her mother insisted she wore them whenever she was out of the house. Flats weren't ladylike enough for the kind of image the Malfoys had to maintain. Ana's attire was formal and luxurious; incredibly overdressed she thought since she was only going to St. Mungo's but it was all Ana knew. She wasn't even aware that children dressed in cute little dresses and jeans since all she had ever known was pearls and silk. On days like this, she craved for a Queen t-shirt like the ones Calista would wear all the time. God she missed her friends. And their wonderfully comfortable shirts.

It was a quarter to ten when her mother collected Ana from her room, Draco was coming along with them since there was no way they were going to leave the eleven year old in the Manor alone. The three of them apparated a bit of the way there since the hospital was two hours away, and then they trudged for thirty minutes in the hot August sun. Ana figured it wouldn't be such a bad walk if she wasn't so dressed up or wearing the heels. Half of her concentration was focused on her footing while the other half was trying to think of what she would say to Aeron when she saw him. If she saw him.

Her mother walked with an air of sophistication as she paved her way throughout the muggle streets. They had never really ventured out of the wizarding neighborhoods, but Ana enjoyed the look muggles had. Every one of them were busy and rushing down the roads and Ana wondered what kind of business they had to worry about. Draco was just doing his best to keep up as his little blonde mop of a head could easily get lost in the sea of people.

Soon enough, their mother turned to large building called Purge and Dowse, Ltd.; it was an odd building that didn't look anything spectacular. She lifted her velvet skirt and stepped through one of the glassless windowpanes, so Ana and Draco followed suit. It was off putting, how their movements seemed so suspicious but as soon as her mother muttered a few words to a mannequin, a wall opened up to let the three of them through.

Beyond the barrier was a large room that held various patients who looked dreadful. A woman had antlers growing out of her head while a man's skin was sprouting multiple types of fungi. It was a gnarly sight, but she and Draco were instructed to sit on rickety seats near beautiful arrangement of flowers while her mother talked to the receptionist. Ana sat straight and tall while Draco swung his legs back and forth as he stared at the different ill patients, pointing out to her all the worst looking wizards. It was a bit rude, but he wasn't lying and he was speaking low enough for no one to hear so Ana figured she'd let it slide.

From the front desk, her mother was going back and forth with the receptionist. Apparently, it was true; Aeron wasn't taking any visitors today or tomorrow or the next day. He forbad anyone from seeing him. But Ana was determined to see her friend whether or not she was allowed to.

Trying to find her way in, Ana caught sight of another healer who was walking from one door to another and disappearing further into the hospital. Draco was going to ask her what she was up to until he saw a person walk in who had lost his limbs and instead had shark fins in their place. That could distract the boys four hours.

"Ma'am, you are not allowed to see the boy! No exceptions," the woman at the desk argued while picking up the phone beside her. She was growing increasingly more annoyed as was her own mother. "Can someone go and check up on the Longbottom's? Make sure Frank eats his lunch today."

Her mother and the woman in charge were at a stand-off. Neither were going to back down anytime soon and her mother even grew a bit aggressive in her tone.

This was her shot; she was going to follow the healer beyond the doors. Ana observed the room to see that no one was paying attention to her, so she grabbed the flowers from the vase beside her and headed towards the back door. She snuck passed her mother, who was now almost threatening the receptionist, and dipped into the halls of the actual hospital. The stems of the pink flowers she was carrying were pricking the palms of her hands, but she hardly focused on that as she began strutting down the halls with whatever balance her heels allowed her and as much confidence she could feign.

Ana had no idea where to turn but she knew that she was going to have to find Aeron's room somehow. It was harder to pretend like she belonged when she kept zigzagging around the building, looking for her friend. And after a few minutes she was still moseying around the ground floor. There were six possible floors he could be on and Ana sighed tiredly; after the thirty minute walk she didn't feel like scouring the whole hospital. She was about to go up a flight of stairs when she saw from the corner of her eye the name "Wright' written neatly on a door.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw it and she bounced slightly at the sight. Before her hands could reach the knob, she was frightened by a pat on her shoulder.

"Excuse me young lady. Are you supposed to be here?" An older man in a long white coat asked her. He held a stern look on his face, one that reminded her of Professor Snape.

"I am, sir," she answered as plainly and convincingly as she could.

"Who are you here to see?"

She couldn't possibly say she was there to see Aeron, since apparently everyone knew that he didn't want visitors. If she were to say his name she would be kicked out as fast as she had entered. And then all of this would be for nothing.

"I'm here to see Frank Longbottom," she answered, remembering the name mentioned by the frustrated receptionist. Who that was, she had no idea, but it would have to do for now.

"Are you family?" His face softened at her mention of the man's name. This could work she thought, so she nodded kindly at the older man, trying to look clueless, which in all fairness she was a bit clueless.

"I brought these flowers for him! Grew them myself," she said in a sickly sweet tone. She smiled at the man and his features changed in a snap from intense into soft with pudgy cheeks. If there was any way she would see Aeron before the day was out she'd have to play this little game. But that was okay with her.

"That's very kind, dear. They're on the fourth floor, two doors to the left of the stairwell," he answered her with a polite nod as he scurried down the hall with his clip board and out of sight.

She felt bad for lying. Just a little bit. Ana knew she'd do it again if she had to, but the thought of using a sick man for her own benefit made the young girl feel rotten. She at least wanted to do something nice for the man that indirectly helped her sneak in. So as she was told, she poked into the stairwell and ripped off her shoes before she ascended the four floors. There was absolutely no way she'd climb that many steps in heels even if they were short; it was hot and her feet were hurting.

It was easy enough to find the room labeled "Longbottoms", the man with the clipboard new his stuff Ana chuckled to herself as she peered into the room. A sudden rush of anxiety washed over her and she contemplated if she should be doing this; she didn't know this man. Or these people she thought when she saw a woman lying in a separate cot beside the man. Before she could chicken out or get caught by another healer, Ana gently placed her shoes back on and entered the room.

The air was silent and clean and the room was no bigger than the one she lived in her whole life at the Manor. There was not a stir or a word being said and she slowly approached the two wizards who were lying in the cots and fixating on the food that was on the trays before them. Apparently both of them needed encouragement to eat their food like the receptionist said. She assumed they were a couple and Ana bowed her head in respect as she stood at the front of the beds. The two of them stared at her blankly, once again remaining silent.

"Hi," she stammered a bit. "I've brought you some flowers."

Ana walked towards them and placed the bright pink flowers into an empty cup that sat on a desk between the two patients. The man hardly cared and he began to poke his finger into his soup which looked painful considering the bowl was steaming hot. That man must have no nerve endings left in his fingertips Ana assumed. The woman however was gazing intently at the young girl. Not like she was confused by her presence but rather like she was trying to memorize her as she stood before them. The woman's pixie-like face curled into an amazed smile.

"Leeee leeee," she sung shakily as she hopped a bit in her bed. "Leeee leeee." She kept repeating, it wasn't the most pleasant sound, but Ana smiled at the woman regardless.

Despite finding the woman charming, Ana was confused. Remembering why she was here in the first place, Ana grabbed a singular flower from the arrangement and held the abrasive stem between her fingers.

"I can leave, if you'd like. Don't worry," Ana reassured as she backed away from the woman whose eyes were now bulging out of her sockets, still muttering her little song. The young girl's heart rate began to beat wildly against her chest the longer the woman yelled. Before she drew attention to the three of them, Ana gave a tiny wave to them both and exited the room quickly. Even from outside the door she could hear the woman chanting and it only made her even more uncomfortable. She shouldn't have intruded even to give them the flowers, she sighed regretfully hoping she didn't do anything to upset the patient.

Once again, she whipped off her shoes and made her way back down the never ending staircase until she reached the door she had seen before. Ana took a moment to breathe deeply; she knew Aeron didn't want to see her, but she also just needed to know if he was okay. The wooden door in front of her was slightly open already, so she looked into the thin, wired window to see if there were any healers inside. And there were. But that didn't scare her.

What scared her was the image of her friend who was lying in the cot. His skin was red and blistered, as if at some point any sudden move would have caused them to burst open and bleed. It made Ana's blood run cold. The usual pale boy was quite literally inflamed; he was getting salves administered to his sores and bandages were placed on his irritated skin. He grimaced in pain until his dark brown eyes met hers through the door. She had never seen Aeron so broken. The boy gawked at her presence with worried eyes, but all she did was place her own hand gently against the glass of the window to reveal a single flower. Before she turned away she offered a soft smile, hopefully conveying to him that she was there for him, even if he didn't want her to be.

Despite his fear of being seen in this condition, Aeron couldn't help but fully face her through the window; it had been so long since he had seen a familiar face. And a kind one at that. When he saw her, the first feeling he had was humiliation. He never wanted to seem weak. But her smile wasn't one of pity. It was a kind smile, one that she would give him when they were studying together and before he could stop himself, he smiled widely at the girl despite how the act pulled at his sore and burnt skin. The little flower was also a sweet touch.

It was lovely to see her, she nodded as she slid the flower beneath the door and waved before departing from him. When she left a rush of anxiety ran through him. He couldn't hide from her, especially with school starting soon. And when he did see her, she was going to ask him questions. Aeron feared the truth, but he also feared what would happen if his friends rejected him upon hearing the truth. There was nothing he could do right now but wait for the inevitable, so he laid down on his cot and closed his eyes.


	20. Diagon Alley and the Boy Who Lived

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Child intimidation and insinuations of child abuse.

It didn't take long for Ana to get escorted out of the hospital; apparently the staff was notified of her sneaking in and when a rather small woman found her, she and her mother and Draco were asked to leave the hospital. Thankfully, Ana's mother didn't press her to share what she had seen. Just from the blank and sullen look on her daughter's face, she could tell that whatever Ana saw affected her greatly. She hardly talked from the minute she left the back of the hospital or the entirety of the two hour trip back to the Manor. Her mother didn't want to push her though; if Ana wanted to talk, she would.

For the rest of the summer, Ana decided to not share with the rest of the group what she had seen. Clearly, Aeron was upset and worried about why he was in the hospital, and Ana understood why. The boy lied. He was burned, and that would have never happened if he was truly laying in his bed with a stomach ache during the Quidditch Final. He was there, somewhere in the stands, just not to watch the game. Ana was horrified by the thought of imagining him causing the explosions at the Quidditch Pitch. But it would explain why he was burned. She didn't want to jump to conclusions; they had started off their friendship as adversaries. Aeron was prideful and snarky at the start, and he still was, but towards the end of their first year, Ana saw a change in him. And because of that, Ana wanted to give the boy a chance to explain himself.

The rest of the summer flew by in the blink of an eye. Every week blended into the next as her routine remained the same: she woke up, would be annoyed by Draco's antics, dug in the dirt for a bit with her mother, and then had dinner and went bed.

Her father was mostly at the Ministry for the whole summer which calmed Ana, but whenever he got home with his heavy walking stick in his hand, all she wanted was to disappear. She dreaded when he carried that blasted thing around. It was laughable how his mere presence made Ana's skin crawl, the complete opposite of how she felt around her mother. For the most part, Ana didn't talk to him, Draco spent more time with the man even though the boy was scared of him. Her father favored Draco, which didn't bother Ana, she just wished he'd be less obvious about it.

By the time school was about to start, the four of them made their way to Diagon Alley in search for all of their supplies. It was nice to be among so many loud bustling people and walking between the bright colorful shops, it was such a stark difference to the last few months of monotony at the Manor. Draco was off somewhere getting fitted for robes while her parents went about buying their textbooks. Ana had already finished the rest of her shopping when her eyes focused on Quality Quidditch Supplies' store window; in the display was a stunning new broom; the Nimbus 2000.

"Is daddy going to get you a new broom, blondie?"

Ana froze at the familiar voice that came from beside her, without turning she knew that at either side of her was a Weasley twin. The idea of seeing the twins didn't even cross her mind as she went about the alley with her parents, she assumed that no one was even going to talk to her to begin with. It was crowded enough that hopefully no one from her family saw her with them, a Slytherin hanging around two Gryffindors would be an interesting sight. She also wasn't incredibly certain as to how she felt towards them, until she remembered the little paper bird Fred had given her on the train. Maybe she could play nice for the afternoon.

"Perhaps, maybe we'll get Draco one as well," she answered back curtly, without turning to face either of the boys. Her family could easily afford two brooms, they weren't that expensive she figured as she looked at the price tag.

"Two brooms? Well that's fresh coming from someone who doesn't even play Quidditch, isn't it Georgie?"

"Seems unnecessary to me, Fred," the other twin agreed with a light chuckle.

"Well, I'll have you know that I will be trying out for the Slytherin team," she corrected with a smirk, which she finally directed to Fred. He looked down at her in a mocking yet approving smile which George mirrored from her right.

"Is that so? Little bird like you going to do what? Replace your boyfriend as the new beater?"

Fred looked incredibly pleased with himself, as he peered down at the young girl. She rolled her eyes at his dumb remark which made him glow. It had been a while since they joked around; the current conversation was still bickering, but this felt more comfortable to the girl.

"I'm going to be the next Slytherin chaser," she smiled at George who looked impressed at her. Ana typically handled George a bit better than Fred, the older twin was far more argumentative than he was. He wasn't as snarky as Fred so she found herself talking to George without any edge in her tone.

"New chaser, eh?"

"It'd be an honor to knock you off your broom," Fred smirked at Ana, who for once smirked back at him like she typically did. Her hair was slightly longer than the last time he saw her he noticed, it now reached the small of her back instead of her shoulders. It looked pretty under the sun he thought, like unicorn blood.

"You'd have to improve your aim for that to happen, Weasley," Ana joked back which made George snicker next to her.

Ana genuinely hated how easy it was for her to forgive them; she enjoyed the banter and how her heart quickened, not with fear but with excitement whenever the red heads approached her. And Ana had a sneaking suspicion that they enjoyed it to. Otherwise, why would they come back to her? Fred smiled at the girl warmly, despite her just insulting him as a smaller boy with chubby cheeks poked at George's side.

"Mum said she needs you two to get your bums in Florish and Blotts! Right now," the younger red head said. She was astounded by the amount of siblings they had, surely, there were no more to come. The bookstore wasn't far away and her parents were currently in the same shop.

"Follow me boys, don't want to keep your mother waiting."

The youngest red head gave her a tiny nod with wide eyes and the four of them walked over to the bookshop with Ana leading the way. He looked a bit softer from the jump than his older brothers; they had a way of being obviously confident and self-assured. The Weasleys were a fascinating bunch, Ana thought as she did her best to not bump into the swarm of wizards that littered the entirety of the alley. But she felt confident as she paved the way to the store, like a snake that was herding a few lions who readily took her lead.

All of them wore giddy smiles on their faces as the bell that hung above the door chimed as they passed through. It was nice to be in their company again, she enjoyed seeing friendly faces since the last one she had seen was a distraught Aeron. And from what Ana could tell, the boys were happy to see her too.

The bookstore was cramped with inpatient patrons; students struggled to find all the books they had been told to by while most of the parents formed a long line that almost wrapped around the ground floor. In instances like this, Ana wished she was taller, it would make it so much easier to find her parents. Her head swivled as she searched for her mother and father, but her search was over when she felt a sharp sting in her shoulder.

Ana flinched at the pain and whipped around to her father who was using the serpent end of his walking stick against his daughter. Her heart began to pound against her chest as he released her from the bite of his cane. Regardless of who was watching, he snarled at the young girl the moment he saw her enter with not one but three Weasleys.

"Outside, now," he grumbled lowly at the girl as he pushed her outside by the blunt end of his cane. She didn't have a moment to spare before he grabbed at the back of her shirt and lead her to the thin pathway that was slivered between the bookstore and another shop. It was dark and the sound of her rushing blood filled her ears due to how much quieter it was now that she was out of view from everyone else.

Once they were away from any wandering eyes, her father slammed her against the wall as his cane blocked off her only escape; the fangs from the silver snake were inches from her temple. The man was fuming and Ana wasn't sure what happened for him to be so upset, but it had been a while since he had gotten so angry with her.

"Friends with the Weasleys, are you?"

Ana wasn't aware that her father even knew of the Weasleys, but based on his reaction, they didn't get along. The tall man grimaced at his daughter as his stuck his long face in her fearful one.

"I wouldn't say we're friends," she answered plainly. That was the truth. She had no idea what they were to her, but she wasn't about to tell her father that she didn't entirely hate the Weasleys.

His twisted face softened a bit at her words but he wasn't fully convinced. Ana's eyes stared into his blankly, trying her hardest to keep her lip still and her nervous tears at bay. He surveyed her intensely, making the narrow walkway feel even smaller. There was no room for error and no room in her lungs.

"Stay away from the Weasleys" he slurred as he tapped his cane tauntingly against the brick wall beside her head. He then brought the metal snake end underneath her chin so she was forced to look at him, "Or else."

And within a second the man dropped his threat and straightened his posture before leaving the frightened girl all alone in the darkened alley. It took her a moment to process what had just happened, she wiggled her nose and sniffled once she felt the inner corners of her eyes sting with the promise of tears. The young girl dipped her head back so the drops never fell but rather sank back into her ice blue eyes. She wasn't going to cry. Not here.

After a few quick but deep breaths, she too, straightened her posture and exited the little walkway. Before she returned to the bookstore, a thin boy with wild black hair and circular glasses offered her a smile. Whether it was one of comfort or pity, she wasn't sure. But she couldn't deny that the little gesture from the strange boy made her want to burst out into tears yet again. She gave him the best smile she could despite how upset she was and then disappeared in search for her mother.

~

"Want my last chocolate frog?" Lucian asked the girl excitedly as they sat next to each other on the blue threaded seats of the Hogwarts Express. His warm skin appeared even more golden from all the sun he had gotten over the summer and it was only emphasized by his great big grin. He held out his candy to her and she took it with an appreciative smile.

Ana and Draco had arrived at the station early that morning, along with her father which was unbelievable to the young girl; of course he would be there to say goodbye to Draco, but he didn't do the same for her last year. As soon as they boarded, Ana wandered the train in search for her friends. She offered for her younger brother to join her, but he had already run off to meet with some boys he had met in Diagon Alley.

The train had yet to leave platform 9 and ¾, and Ana was staring intensely out the window in search for three people: Aeron and the twins, regardless of what her father said. She sat on her knees in order to get a good look outside the window, but as the time ticked closer to eleven o'clock, she was beginning to lose hope.

"Look at my nails!" Calista smiled as she held out her hands; her nails were longer and shaped like little coffins, the pastel tangerine shade complimenting her dark skin. Alex held her hand and admired how decorated they were compared to her short and chewed at nails. Calista's were gorgeous and even Ana turned away from the window to get a better look at them. "My aunt took me to get them done as a belated birthday present!"

The three girls talked about Calista's experience at the nail salon while Lucian sat back and giggled quietly to himself, he had nothing to contribute but he had no problem listening to how invested they all were in the girl's manicure. Their attention was so focused that all of them practically jumped out of their seats when the compartment door slammed open.

Alex and Calista's eyes widen in surprise at the sight before them; Aeron had entered their section of the train looking far better than the last time Ana saw him. But from the way his eyes never left his feet, she could tell that he was uncomfortable with the eyes that were trained on him. Lucian however kept a completely straight face, as did Ana, they didn't dare do anything to make the boy feel worse.

"Hey, mate," Lucian said warmly at the quiet boy, "long time no see."

Aeron shuffled until he was seated beside Calista, directly in front of Ana. His skin was still inflamed, not sore or broken, but his usual pale skin was now covered in splotches of light pink. His short brown hair had grown out a bit acting as a curtain that shielded his face from the rest of the world. She liked his hair longer, but not for the reasons he was using it.

"What happened to you?" Alex blurted a bit too harshly given the situation. Calista swatted at her friend's outburst and offered the boy a half-hearted smile.

Aeron settled back into the cushions and made himself into a little ball as his knees curled into his chest, "I know, Bole. I look hideous, okay." He sighed heavily and covered the entirety of his face behind his blotchy arms, trying his best to shut out everyone.

Alex's face immediately fell at his reaction realizing how her question came across to the group, "No! No, no, no! I meant what happened to you because you haven't answered anyone's owls! We were worried."

Ana and Lucian exchanged nervous looks, but soon enough the boy lifted his head and looked sheepishly at his friend across from him. He stared at her with anxious eyes and Ana gave him a gentle nod, giving him reassurance for whatever was troubling him.

A hand landed softly on his knee, and Aeron turned to see Calista looking at him with her warm chocolate brown eyes. The girl, who he would hardly pay any attention to at the beginning of his first year was currently comforting him, and at that realization he broke down and enveloped the muggle born girl in a desperate hug.

Everyone was astounded by his breakdown, but as he choked on the intensity of his tears they all knew that all these emotions were probably building for quite some time. Calista allowed him to hold her as long as he needed while she scratched at his back softly with her long orange nails. The action calmed the boy slightly who had finally attempted to regulate his breathing again. Time stood still as the only sound anyone could hear was his quiet sniffles and Calista's reassuring words. When he pulled away from her, he let out a tiny giggle as he wiped away the tears from his face.

Alex reached into her luggage and pulled out Calista's stuffed rabbit, "Everything will be alright, Wright," she sung as she handed the toy to the boy who accepted it happily. He laughed at Alex's little joke, clutched the rabbit to his chest and sat back into his seat with a deep sigh.

"I don't want to push you, Aeron," Lucian said in a calm tone, "But it's clear that you have somethings to get off your chest."

Calista was still rubbing at his shoulder as he held on tightly to the rabbit and bobbed his head in agreement.

"You can tell us anything," Ana reminded him and the others nodded enthusiastically, "We're here for you."

And as he surveyed the people in the compartment, he found that Ana was right. None of them jumped at the chance to make fun of him or yell at him. They just wanted to understand what was going on. His breathing had fully relaxed and for the first time since last term he felt like he could be honest with them and so he told them everything, no matter how hard it was.

While the boy poured his heart out to the other four Slytherins, the rest of the train was alive with talk of the famous Harry Potter who was finally starting his first year. Every compartment heard the news and speculation started over what house he would be put in, if he even had a scar and some of them even wondered if the rumors were true. The boy who lived was coming to Hogwarts; it was an incredible arrival to the school. And while the entire train was talking about the boy, very few had indulged in a far more dubious conspiracy. One that was far too taboo to even entertain.


	21. "Do Your Worst"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Recalling a traumatic experience.

The entirety of the train ride to Hogwarts was filled with Aeron telling the group what had happened last year and why he was radio silent during the whole summer. All of them were on pins and needles over the whole ordeal. The boy regrettably explained how he was the one who had set off the fireworks during the Quidditch Pitch, waiting for his inevitable exile from the friend group. He was expecting everyone to scream at him, but they remained quiet even if Alex's temper was building back up slightly, she held it in.

He retold the interaction he had with Marcus Flint who already had a strained history with the Weasley twins, apparently the Slytherin captain was convinced that the twins ruined their chance at winning the Quidditch Cup when the redheads were just first years. And once Aeron confided in Flint over how badly the twins aggravated him, Aeron was enlisted to help frame the boys for the Quidditch Pitch disaster.

"Flint snuck into the Gryffindor changing rooms and planted the firework wrappers in there to make it seem like it was them, I was given the task of setting off the fireworks," his brown eyes were focused only on the fluffy stuffed rabbit that sat in his lap. "He told me to light them after the game ended and I did, but one of them tipped over and, and-" he took a deep breathe, his thin fingers trembling slightly as his mind took him back to the flames and the smoke, "-when one of them tipped over, they all just misfired."

He was beginning to trip over his words as he relived the horrors of being trapped underneath the stands as it got caught on fire. His chest started heaving and Ana calmly reminded him to breathe and relax. Unsure of what to do, Alex started to quietly sing "Tiny Dancer" entirely off key, which gave the whole compartment a good laugh and distracted Aeron from himself for a moment; it was horribly sung but it made the panicked boy smile.

"Sorry, but Calista sings that to me sometimes when I have to calm down."

Calista chuckled at Alex's admission, enjoying the tiny break of humor, until they all turned back to allow Aeron to continue. Once he did, he told them about how Hagrid was the one to find him injured outside the pitch and the half giant had immediately taken him to St. Mungos. From there on out, he had stayed there the whole summer.

"I truly didn't mean for anyone to get hurt, like you, Alex," he sniffled at the girl who did have a bit of a grudge against the boy. But everyone could tell that based off the state of his inflamed skin, that Aeron had suffered enough, "I just wanted to get back at the twins for the things they had done. I'm sorry."

There was a second of silence among the group, a second that lasted hours to the young regretful boy. 

"I forgive you," Calista said with a wide smile, which felt more like a hug to Aeron at this moment.

The rest of the compartment expressed their forgiveness, but the last one to do so was Ana. He stared at the girl whose forgiveness he craved the most; the first person to give him a chance, the first person to actually make him smile. Yet, her face remained still and calculated.

"I only have one question, Wright," she stated with a stone cold expression. His nervousness began seeping back in slowly, but he nodded his head while fearing the worst.

"Did you get my flower that I brought you when I visited you at St. Mungos?" Her mask of indifference fell as she grinned back softly at the boy who had once been so sneaky and conniving. Perhaps he just wanted someone to talk to. Someone to call a friend.

Upon hearing her question, his strained brows fell in relief as he dipped down into his luggage and grabbed his history book. And sure enough, within the dense pages that once cause her such grief held the single pink flower that she had given him that day in the hospital. It was flattened and a bit yellowed. But it was perfect.

"I'll have you know that you came on my birthday, Ana," he chuckled as he began to unfold one of the delicate petals. "Thank you for giving me a birthday gift."

~

It was late in the afternoon when the train had finally arrived at the Hogsmeade Station, they all talked about Quidditch tryouts which were incredibly intriguing to both Ana and Alex. There was one position open since the last chaser had graduated, but unfortunately Marcus Flint was the captain, so even if everyone hated the sniveling boy, they had to play nice if they wanted to make the team.

Lucian rattled on about the letters he had been exchanging with the Hufflepuff seeker, Cedric Diggory. Since the last game where Diggory caught the snitch, yet lost the game, the boys had found talking to each other surprisingly fun. Lucian enjoyed talking to someone simply about the game of Quidditch instead of only thinking of having to win. And even a Slytherin like Lucian could appreciate raw talent when he saw it.

But soon enough the carriage ride that was led by the thestrals took them straight to the castle and they walked back through the familiar corridors and into the Great Hall. It was still warm as it was just the start of September, but a gentle breeze sent a wave of calm over not only Ana and her friends, but she assumed it would help little Draco as he was off boating across the Black Lake like she had to do last year.

She took her usual spot between Lucian and Aeron while Alex and Calista sat opposite them, the sorting hat was going to be placing its next set of students into their house and if anyone was the most welcoming, it was going to be Lucian and Calista. Ana was far too tired to be chipper this night.

That feeling was drowned by the excitement that filled her veins as soon as she heard Draco's name being called. His hair was combed neatly and he had a smirk on his face. Always the one for attention Ana chuckled to herself. It was no surprise to her when the hat placed him in Slytherin before the piece of raggedy clothing even touched his head, and Ana was ecstatic to have him sit beside Lucian with a giant smile on his face. Draco gave his sister a tiny wave as he watched for more to come.

A few students had been sorted to their houses, two more stocky boys to Slytherin which Draco seemed incredibly excited about, a girl with bushy hair went to Gryffindor, the list went on and on. A familiar redhead caught her eye, she remembered him to be the twins' little brother and she watched as he sighed and waltzed his way towards the Gryffindor table. The twins ruffled his hair and took their brother in with wide arms which made her smile.

"Potter, Harry."

The room went silent. No one dared speak as the boy who Ana thought looked familiar, but she couldn't have been sure. He was scrawny and sat at the stool with unease. Of course the hat had a whole monologue about the pros and cons of every house, but the infamous boy was sent over to Gryffindor in the end. That's something the house was going to brag about for eternity, Ana sunk further into her seat. Even if it would've been fun to have the kid in her house, she was just happy to have Draco with her. She could see him without the looming threat of their father. And for that she was grateful.

However, as the first week at Hogwarts went along, she felt like Draco wasn't necessarily ignoring her, but he was definitely highly infatuated with any ounce of attention he received from the two imbeciles she had learned were named Crabbe and Goyle. They didn't seem like bad kids, but every time she looked at them too she wondered if a single thought ever crossed their minds. Draco seemed to do the talking for all of them. Maybe he did all the thinking too.

Even with Draco being a bit distant, Ana was just happy to be home. She would wake up from her dreamless sleep and get to spend the rest of her waking hours with people who she couldn't dare live without. Ana craved the routine that came from being at Hogwarts and part of that meant she resumed her study sessions with Aeron.

Every night after dinner they would retreat to the common room, find the quietest nook they could and studied the night away. Sometimes genuine work was being done while most of the time they were goofing off and making light hearted fun at the ghostly teacher. This night was one of those where there was more talking than studying. Aeron dipped his head back and let out a snort as Ana horribly mispronounced a very famous wizards name and no matter how hard she tried to reel him in, she too couldn't stop herself from laughing. 

Their good moods were squashed when a small clump of burning paper landed between the two of them, and Aeron froze at the flame that mocked him as it burnt in the middle of the table. Infuriated, Ana slammed down her book overtop the ball that extinguished the flame, but that did nothing to extinguish the fury that was growing in her gut. She didn't even have to guess who it was from because from a short distance away stood Marcus Flint. He cackled as he began to pat furiously at his skin, the way someone would if they caught fire. And all Aeron could do was watch as the boy mocked his pain before the older boy dipped away from sight and towards his dorms.

Ana hated him. She didn't even hate her father, but Merlin, did she want to get back at the Quidditch captain for being the mastermind behind the whole thing. He hurt Aeron, Alex, countless other students. He even hurt the twins by accusing them of doing something they had no part in. And she was going to make him pay. But she needed recruits.

The next morning during breakfast, she nibbled on her fruit and muffin while she watched the grimy Marcus Flint go about his morning like nothing was wrong. Oh, but he would soon realize he made a mistake, Ana smirked as she continued writing her note with a lux quill. As far as she knew it, she was signing away the boy's sanity for the indefinite future, and it filled her with more joy than anything she had yet to experience. When the daily mail came, she tied her note to her owl's leg and sent it off to its destination. This is going to be beautiful Ana thought.

~

"Ah, Ms. Bibiana Malfoy," an annoyingly plummy voice said from behind her, "just couldn't stay away could you?"

She had been enjoying the quiet squawks and chirps that the owlery provided her; their gentle coos mixed with the summer breeze made Ana wonder why she didn't spend much time there. Maybe it was the smell of bird poop that really killed the mood. But that wasn't what Ana was there for in the first place.

"Wished I could get rid of you Weasley," Ana chuckled as she turned to see the two boys she knew would jump at the chance to help her. George smiled at her whereas Fred looked down at her feigning being hurt at her comment.

"Why'd you call us to the owlery? You never come here," the older twin asked suspiciously, his arms crossed in front of his chest while George chuckled at Fred's mannerisms.

Ana quirked her eyebrow at his statement, "How do you know where I go Weasley?"

George's eyes widened and he started to shuffle nervously while Fred remained still and composed. "Just a guess."

"Well do you want to guess as to why I called you here or do you want me to tell you?"

Before Fred said another dumb comment, George stepped up so he stood between Ana and his brother, effectively putting some needed distance between the two. Fred's face fell once he was no longer in the front but George's lower voice sounded intrigued, "I, for one, would like to know why you wanted to talk, Ana."

She was surprised by how agreeable George sounded, perhaps she should just talk to him from now on. "Wonderful!" she quipped. "Well, I have come to a bit of fascinating information over the summer, and I think you two should know."

"And what is that, Malfoy?" Fred asked from over his brother's shoulder which made George roll his eyes.

It took her a moment to realize they were wearing matching shirts and she couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that they must've coordinated their look every morning. Before she lingered on that hysterical thought for too long, she whipped her long hair over one shoulder.

"I just so happen to know not only who set the Quidditch pitch on fire, but I also know who framed you boys," she stood there looking incredibly pleased with herself, her spine stood strong and tall. For a rather small girl, she commanded a lot of respect.

"Was it your bird looking friend? What was his name? Aeron?"

Ana's attention snapped to Fred at the bitterness in which he accused Aeron. He somehow always knew the exact thing to push her buttons and Ana was once again growing tired of his attitude. Aeron was partially at fault, but if anyone deserved a sliver of mercy, it was him.

"You know what?" Ana's voice turned metallic and sour, hoping her harsh glare would shake the boy out of his condescension. "Maybe you don't deserve to know."

And with a huff, she turned on her heels and began to walk towards the exit of the tower. If they wanted to be difficult, there was no reason for her to talk to them at all. She would rather walk away than have them, mainly Fred, disrespect her and her friends.

A rush of air flew past her on either side and now the two boys were blocking her only way out. They had grown over the summer; the bottoms of their pants exposed their ankles and mix-matched socks and she wondered why they didn't just buy clothes that actually fit them. In a year, those pants would turn into shorts by this rate.

"Please tell us," George asked desperately while elbowing his older brother in the gut which made Ana's angry façade break with a giggle. Fred's smile came as quickly as it left, but he rolled his eyes like a pouting toddler at having to concede a bit to the girl.

"Yes, please tell us, snake. We are shaking with anticipation," Fred grumbled.

This was not going to do, she thought, "George can you come with me please?" Ana requested as she walked further into the tower. A confused yet responsive George shuffled as he joined her. Fred was about to follow until Ana held up a hand, which demanded the growing boy to freeze in place.

"No! Not you! From now on I am only speaking to George," she hollered at the more annoying twin.

George's face twisted into a look of nervousness but it dwindled when Ana smiled at him.

"I am going to tell George," she emphasized his name loudly just to annoy Fred even more, "that Aeron was not involved. And if he was involved, I would say that just by looking at him, you can tell he has suffered enough. Would you agree, George?"

He nodded his head quickly as he caught on to her little charade, "Why, yes, Ana. I would agree that Aeron has been through the ringer. Please tell me that secret you wanted to share with me! And only me!" His animated voice rose in volume; he wanted Fred to know that he was no longer included in the fun.

Fred let out a large groan of frustration as he stood across the tower like a child that was put in time-out. And like a child, he listened and took his punishment which made it even better for Ana. She found it overwhelming satisfying, and George was getting a kick out of it as well, the two of them giggled quietly between themselves.

"The real person who framed you, George, and destroyed the pitch was," Ana's voice shrunk into a tiny whisper, almost too low for even George to hear, "Marcus Flint."

George's eyes bulged from his head at the reveal and he sat down on a ledge to mull over the confession. Ana stood confident and self-assured, she knew her gut was right when she told Dumbledore they didn't do it. She'd have to remember to trust her gut again if a situation called for it.

"What did you say?" Fred questioned from far away. Ana figured she should just ignore him, but god was it fun to push his buttons. After all the turmoil he put her through, she found it was justified.

"George do you hear an annoying buzzing sound or?" She waved her hands around her ears dramatically which just made Fred run his hands through his hair as he hopped around impatiently.

After a moment of introspection, George stood up and leaned closer to Ana, "It was Marcus? God that actually makes sense."

"Why is that?"

"Because we sent him to St. Mungos," Fred scared the hell out of Ana, who he had sneaked up on. She jumped slightly which made him smirk softly at the girl.

"I'm not talking to you," Ana directed to the older twin, before turning back to George, "But what did you do to him? How bad did you hurt him?"

Fred and George both turned fidgety as they recalled he same memory together, like they shared one single stream of consciousness.

"Deterioration Hex," they said in unison.

Ana's expression grew even more confused since she had never heard of the hex. Sensing her cluelessness, George explained, "We were throwing the hex around in the courtyard after hours and we didn't see Flint when he came running out of one of the wings."

"That foul git was on his way to do something probably rotten when he got blasted with it," Fred chuckled to himself. "But it took him out so bad that he had to be sent to St. Mungo's to reverse it. I cannot believe he held a grudge for that long, Georgie."

"Well, he did," Ana shifted so she was facing both boys head on. "And since I saved both of your bums last year, I figured we could come to an agreement."

The two stood silently, curious eyes lingered on the girl as they waited for her proposal. She analyzed them both. George's arms were wrapped around himself as he bobbed on his heels while Fred had his arms crossed behind his back and his head crooked to the side. They were both copies of each other and yet they never once looked the same to her. Everything about them was different and it brought her a bit of pride to know she already had them down pat.

"I don't want you to prank Aeron or me or any of my other friends."

From the look on their faces she might as well have told them that she snapped their brooms in half. They looked positively dejected at the mere thought of not annoying her, but she stuck to her gun and continued to send the boys daggers until they folded.

"Alright," Fred replied with a hint of softness, his nonchalant act began to fade, "you have a deal."

"However, when it comes to Aeron, Flint has been a real thorn in his side. And anyone that hurts my friends are certainly not going to get away with it," Ana confided to the boys. "We all want the same thing here. So, instead of pranking me, the person who saved you from expulsion, put that energy towards a new target. You understand?"

Both of the boys picked up on her insinuation and they tuned to each other with mischievous looks which Ana now found endearing, knowing she wasn't going to be the victim of their pranks. Ana dipped her head respectfully, insinuating that she was going to leave. 

"Wanna shake on it?" Fred grinned at the girl, holding out his hand at their business deal before she could turn away.

Ana stared at his hand for a moment, wondering if she should take it. She felt nervous all of a sudden, but she knew that she wanted to shake his hand. So she did, it was quick and surprisingly painless; but she enjoyed how the twins smiled at the agreement they all came to.

The boys started gushing about what they were going to do to the Slytherin captain; they were going to have plenty of fun with this.

"Just so we're clear, you didn't hear any of this from me," Ana said smoothly as she was almost out the door, "I plan on getting the open chaser position and don't really want the captain to hate my guts."

Fred and George nodded excitedly, they were not only making amends with the girl, but they were instructed to prank a person they already didn't like. It was a glorious night for them.

"But, boys," they looked at her like two children who were being tempted by hoards of sugary and addicting candy, she smirked at them, "do your worst."


	22. The Toothless Lion and the Jaded Snake

A month had gone by since her discussion with the twins in the owlery and the boys kept their promise. Multiple times their breakfast would be interrupted by the Slytherin captain throwing up his meal, or he would enter the common room with a new hair color. It seemed like it was something new every other day and the boy was distraught. He was no longer boastful as he walked through the halls, but he would silently glare at anyone and anything as he heaved and grumbled about. It was beautiful. And Ana would have the Weasley boys to thank.

Aeron had finally perked up; once he noticed that no one, not even Alex was trying to kick him out of the group, he beamed with appreciation. Also, the sight of his enemy crawling across the floor because he had been hit by the Jelly-Legs Jinx was hard to not laugh at. That was all she wanted. She wanted the boy who had hid himself for months to break out of his shell. And he was.

The four of them were sitting together in Herbology; Aeron and Ana together while Alex was with Calista. Professor Sprout looked as warm as ever underneath her large hat while she smiled softly at the girl she had grown to care deeply for. It was unusual for her to have a student such as Ana, and that only made the day even more splendid for the grayed witch.

The class went over the medicinal Fluxweed plant; another plant that Ana's mother grew year round in their garden. It was a key ingredient in her medicine, so Ana had grown very familiar with the common weed. She spent an hour planting and watering for both her and Aeron, who refused to get his hands messy; though Ana didn't mind. Aeron kept her company well enough as he began talking about some old revolution they had learned in their last history lesson. The course material was yawn-worthy and yet the budding boy had a way of making it interesting. After laughing with Aeron until the end of their lesson, she was starving and only had dinner on her mind. As soon as class ended she was already chatting with Alex about the upcoming Quidditch tryouts when the kind voice of her professor called for her. Without hesitating, Ana gallivanted towards her favorite teacher with glee, encouraging her friends to go on without her.

"It's good to see you in such a good mood, Ana. I'm assuming that the sleeping potion has been helping?" The woman hummed as she held one of the young girl's hands in between both of her own. Ana's nose scrunched happily and she nodded in return. "Good. Very good."

Ana wasn't sure why she was called over, but this alone time with Professor Sprout was nice. The sun was no longer as hot as it had been an hour earlier and the sky was turning into a beautiful watercolor of pinks and yellows. Two colors that she associated with Professor Sprout.

"Well I called you because I want to invite you to the greenhouse after dinner!" She sang softly with shimmering eyes. "I have someone I'd like for you to meet, dear. Would you care for a visit?"

The young witch couldn't imagine turning down Sprout's invitation, it would be a crime to decline. Since her first year the head of Hufflepuff had shown her more care and concern than her own head of house. Snape wasn't horrible, but goodness, he was no Professor Sprout. Snape was kind if he had to be, Sprout was kind because that was just who she was by nature.

"Of course Professor! I'd love to meet them," she smiled from ear to ear, positively glowing with the prospect of meeting someone who had the woman so enthralled. With a charming smile, Sprout beamed at the young girl before sending Ana off to eat.

Dinner went by in a breeze, and Ana couldn't help but bounce with happiness in her seat as she tried guessing who she was going to meet. Perhaps it would be the twins' brother Ron, or maybe even the boy who lived. Regardless, Ana was just excited to spend even more time with her favorite teacher. She practically scarfed down her strawberries and soup, which worried Lucian; he feared she was going to choke. Ana blurted to her friends that she was going to be elsewhere after dinner, and all four of her friends found it bizarre how excited she was to sit among the dirt again, but it made her happy. So it made them happy.

The sight of Ana gleaming and buzzing with joy also made another onlooker happy, although he would never admit it. He couldn't. At least not yet.

After eating as much as she could, Ana gave her quickest yet sincerest goodbyes as she went straight from the Great Hall to the greenhouses. It wasn't unusual for her to frequent the greenhouses after dinner, but now she would have another person to talk to.

Ana entered the glass structure and noticed that it had been untouched since her class; Professor Sprout must still be at dinner, she assumed. It was wonderfully silent, the plants went about their business as she sat patiently, enjoying the stillness of it all. The air was warm yet light, her breathing always seemed to cycle more evenly when she was among all the greenery. It was a safe place for her.

A crash sounded from behind her, and she swiveled in her seat to see a younger blushy boy bend over to pick up a broken flower pot. Thankfully it was empty so there were no plant deaths to mourn, but the accident did break the young girl out of her moment of appreciation.

"Sorry, I didn't me- did I- did I scare you?" he gulped as he noticed just how composed the girl in front of him was. She didn't look angry, but she didn't look happy. It seemed to him like she was just simply there. Like how air just simply exists, quiet yet still. And he came in bumbling and unbalanced.

"You didn't scare me. I've knocked that pot over too many times to count last year. I keep suggesting to Professor Sprout that we move it, but she insists it stay there," she greeted him with a welcoming smile which almost threw the boy off balance again given her green robes. "Reparo" she fixed the pot as quickly as it broke.

He wobbled over to her with one arm slung in a bandage, muttering a quiet thanks as he kept his gaze on his shoes which were untied, but he didn't dare move to fix them. The girl in front of him might judge him. Every millisecond of silence made the boy wish that Professor Sprout was with them already, just to kill the awkwardness. Conversely, Ana was just happy to have company.

"I'm Ana," she said gently, trying to gauge the younger boy's nervousness, he still refused to look her in the eyes. This wasn't exactly how she thought this evening would go, but Ana trusted Professor Sprout's judgement of the boy; who apparently was a Gryffindor based on his red tie. "So you were sorted into Gryffindor? That's pretty cool."

The little lion was surprised that a Slytherin was talking to her, he was scared of the Slytherins in his year and once he saw her green robes he had almost turned and walked away altogether. It wasn't even that the girl was innately scary, he was just scared of most things.

"I don't feel like a Gryffindor,' Ana was surprised the boy would reveal something he was insecure about so easily, but she let him continue, "maybe if I was a to-toothless lion it'd make more sense."

She nodded her head slowly, he just needed some encouragement, "I don't know about that. Everyone starts out without teeth, but they come in eventually."

For the first time in the whole night, the stuttering boy looked her in the eyes where a tiny twinkle resided in his wide brown ones. It was a tiny success, but it was progress, Ana reveled. A decent amount of time went by and the head of Hufflepuff had yet to join them, so Ana decided to grab her Fluxweed plant from a few hours earlier and she began to instruct the boy on what it did and how to take care of it. The green plant nearly matched the ill look on the boy's face when he first walked in. It took a bit of time, but soon the boy was asking questions; he stumbled over his words but he had the courage to utter them still.

He was astounded by the gentle girl who would smile at him patiently whenever he had a random or obscure question about the plant. She took it in stride and answered every inquiry to the best of her ability and he began to enjoy his time. No longer were his palms sweaty or his knees wobbly in fear, he even let out a chuckle when a neighboring plant began hiccupping. Ana celebrated in his laugh and smiled back at him.

It was the first of many laughs and smiles they would share that night.

"Ana! Stop! I don't need any more water!" He choked on his laughter as she began spritzing his dark hair with a water bottle; his arms flailed as he tried to escape the mist. Ana covered her grinning aching face in her hands, it had been a long time since she laughed so hard. The boy's larger front teeth poked out as he bellowed loudly at the girl.

"I'm trying to help you grow!"

"Well, well, well, look at my two favorite students," a whimsical voice said from the entrance of the greenhouses, "I had a feeling you two would get along."

The two students nodded enthusiastically as Professor Sprout joined them at the benches they were perched at; the soles of their hands were covered in dirt but their smiles never faded. During their time of getting to know each other and mucking around, they hadn't even noticed, even through the transparent walls of the greenhouse that the sky had turned pitch black.

"Neville, I'm sorry. There was a meeting for all the heads of houses, but I'm glad to see you, hun," the woman offered the boy a smile; the kind that Ana had received on more than one occasion. Neville glowed at the welcome. "Unfortunately, it is late so maybe we should do this again another day, yes?"

Begrudgingly, the two students agreed, finding it too dark out to escape getting caught by Filch. They had to go their separate ways to their own common rooms, but they mirrored happy smiles at the thought of spending more time together.

~  
Quidditch tryouts were absolutely excruciating, the whole time Flint was in a horrific mood since most of the time he was throwing up slugs from fifty feet in the air. For a split second she felt bad for the captain, but then she peered over to where Aeron was sitting with Calista on the stands. Aeron was a bit nervous at the idea of returning to the pitch, but he ultimately decided to support both Ana and Alex as long as Calista was with him. Aeron was there for her, and Ana knew she would return the favor for the boy. Always.

Thankfully, his skin had improved tremendously since she had begun making healing potions in her down time for him in exchange for his tutoring. It took some convincing for the boy to agree to the deal, but in the end, there was no stopping Ana when she wanted to help him heal from something Flint started.

Ana and Alex were the only two going for the singular chaser position since the last player graduated the previous year. They were put through drill after drill, while Lucian and Derrick swatted the bludgers their way as they furiously tried to score against Miles Bletchley. It was tougher than any flying session Ana had done with Draco over the past few years, but the sting of the cool morning air kept her on high alert. She had always chased after Draco who was incredibly fast on a broom and that practice came out during her tryouts.

Being on the ground, on her unsteady two feet meant that Ana toppled over quite a bit. Flying was an entirely different story; she couldn't trip on air, she could only soar. Draco knew this, and he smiled up at his sister from his place in the stands, there was no way he was going to miss his sister's attempt to get on the team. It would be a big deal to the family if she were to make it as a second year. He didn't want to put that pressure on his sisters, so he hid his nervousness behind his cheers of support.

It had been a few hours until the very ill Marcus Flint called it a day. He had been vomiting on and off the whole time and at some point the sun grew stronger which made the situation even nastier. The final line up for the team was going to take a few days to deliberate so all the Slytherins made their way to the Great Hall to fill up on a well-deserved lunch.

Ana was positively starving, almost matching the ferocity at which Alex typically ate her lunch. Aeron and Calista were discussing both muggle and wizarding history, comparing and contrasting the two, while Lucian talked to Derrick about who would possibly fill the seeker position that Gryffindor needed to fill since Charlie Weasley had graduated. Ana was happy to be in her little bubble as she filled herself on fresh strawberries and as much pasta as she could stomach.

Draco walked into the Great Hall and Ana all but yelled for her brother to join her. He smiled when he saw her, his feet pulling him to his sister until his dorm mates, Crabbe, Goyle, and a few other boys grabbed him by his elbows and directed him out of the hall. One of the boys that joined her brother was Marcus Flint and all Ana could see was red. She hated that Flint had for some reason decided to become chummy with a boy that was five years younger than him. All she wanted was to rip the two away from each other and unfortunately she knew she couldn't. Showing any resentment towards the captain would be a sure fire way for her to not get picked for the team.

Lucian noticed the fury behind her eyes, "You alright, Ana?" he smiled as he poured another helping of strawberries on her plate. Ana's furiousness lessened at the boy's thoughtful offering and nodded with little conviction. She wasn't okay with anything that was happening, but she was for damn sure going to keep an eye on it.

~

After the intense tryouts, dinner, and showers, the group laid around the common room to relax. Calista was sitting on the floor at Alex's feet while she excitedly explained the plot of a movie The Karate Kid. Everyone listened to her recall the most interesting part of the movie, Aeron seemed to take the most notice; his eyes glowed at the story of the boy who learned how to stand up for himself. Ana had to admit, it sounded like a fun movie, she just lamented the fact that she'd probably never get to watch it.

Lucian and Ana sat next to each other on a different couch, taking breaks to talk to each other about the Quidditch tryouts and then returning their attention to Calista. Ana was finally relaxing at the sound of the crackling fire and her little family around her. Her head was nestled on one of the arm rests, trying her hardest to stay awake to enjoy their down time together. Despite how much she wanted to soak in the sound of Calista's excited voice, Ana's eyes began to grow heavy the longer she laid there, the feeling only growing worse after Lucian draped a blanket over her shivering body.

A loud wallop of boys' screaming disturbed her little nap and the group grew silent as Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and Flint came charging into the common room. It made Ana cringe, seeing the fifth year running around with a bunch of eleven year olds; his uneven facial hair made him stick out like a sore thumb. Flint had been hanging with the group so much, to the point where Ana noticed that Draco hardly talked to her. It made her sad to remember how excited her little brother was last year about coming to Hogwarts; he always talked about doing things together and that had yet to happen.

The four of them bumbled towards the group, which made Aeron and Alex turn to them defensively, their chests puffed out as if they were anticipating some sort of confrontation. Flint focused on the two of them with a sneer that making Ana sit up tiredly: holding her blanket up to her for comfort.

Draco was at the front of the pack which confused Ana, she assumed that Flint would be doing the talking for all of them given he was two years short of graduating.

"When are you going to bed?" the little blond boy asked in a tone that didn't sound like him; it came out far more pompous than ever before. Ana was confused at the sound and the question. He had never cared about the time at which she went to sleep, most times he fell asleep before she did.

"Uh, I'm not sure, whenever I'm tired," she answered kindly, trying to keep the mood light like they usually were when she talked to her brother. "Why do you ask?"

Crabbe and Goyle snickered behind Draco while Flint smirked grotesquely at the group; Ana's face fell at their odd behaviors. At this point all five of them had the entirety of their focus on the four newcomers.

Draco smirked at his older sister, looking almost too sweet. "No reason. Just thought you looked tired."

That was a lie. It was a flat out lie. This was not like Draco. Usually, Ana would stumble upon her brother drooling on his pillow rather early in the night. When he was done for the night he would ignore everyone and pass out. Her stomach twisted at the persona her brother was putting on. He wasn't himself. He was acting like their father, which terrified her.

"She looks tired because that's what happens when you spend your whole morning trying out for the Quidditch team," Alex's statement came out with a bit of acidity to it, her body situated between the boys and the rest of the group.

"I know, I was watching, Bole," Draco quipped back sharply, which alarmed Ana.

The soft and cushy couch was abandoned once he replied to her friend like that; Ana stood up and pulled Draco away from the boys who glared at her scathingly. Thankfully, Draco didn't dismiss Ana, allowing her to take him by the elbow and away from any curious ears.

"Draco are you okay?"

"Of course I am. What would make you think something's wrong?"

Once again, he sounded like he was trying to be convincing, unfortunately for the young boy he was horrible at lying to her. He over-performed everything he did, which made his lying so blaringly obvious to the girl. She figured if he was going to lie to anyone, he would have to get better at it.

"Come on, you know that I can tell when you are off. What's going on?"

Draco was going to comment something until Alex had begun shouting at Flint; she jumped up from the couch and had the Quidditch captain's collar firmly in her grasp. It all happened in the blink of an eye; Lucian was trying to pull his sister off the oldest boy. Meanwhile, Aeron was rubbing at Calista's shoulder softly as he yelled at Crabbe and Goyle with unparalleled wrath.

Before Ana could do anything, Draco darted away from his sister and ran up the stairs into the boy's dorms. She groaned at the boy's getaway and ran over to the fighting group to try and break it up. Lucian had finally gotten Alex off Flint who, after a day of throwing up on the Quidditch pitch, now had a giant scratch down his face that was bleeding. Ana knew she should feel bad for the boy's pain, but she didn't. There was no room in her chest for any sympathy towards Flint.

As soon as Ana rejoined the group, Crabbe, Goyle, and Flint ran around the girl to follow in Draco's steps, leaving them all confused and angry. But unfortunately they left one of them in tears.

"What the in the world just happened?" Ana cried as she surveyed the damage.

Alex's face was scarlet red, still huffing and puffing from attacking the Quidditch captain. In her steady arms was Calista who was quietly sobbing, her shoulders trembled as a new wave of tears escaped. Aeron and Lucian's complexions matched Alex's; they were splotchy red with anger and adrenaline, which was the total opposite of the weeping girl.

When no one answered her question, Ana decided she'd try her luck with just talking to the beater.

Lucian sat down, watching Ana as she wrapped the blanket she was just using around Calista. He gloomily smiled at her small act of kindness and looked up at her with sadness in his eyes.

"They called Calista, something horrible," he mumbled, looking disgusted as he spoke. He didn't want Calista to hear him so he lowered his voice even more, "They called her something you should never call a muggle born." Lucian's eyebrows rose, hoping Ana could insinuate what he was trying to hint at.

Her once shivering body now filled with a simmering fire, Ana's face grew stiff and serious at the admission. She now understood why Alex was so angry.

As a child, her father said the term all the time and her mother would always remind her that it was not something she was to repeat. It was vile and cruel, even for a pureblood wizard to say. That knowledge made her only despise her brother's friends even more. They reminded her of the one person she hated returning to in the summer months.

Seeing their effect on her muggle born friend made her sick. And yet, she knew that Draco wasn't planning on getting rid of them anytime soon.


	23. Family Matters

Ana and Neville reunited after few days had passed. Even though Neville was nervous when he first met her, he looked forward to seeing the girl in green again. She wasn't put off by his stuttering, she didn't even make fun of him slightly. Instead of judging him, she was kind to him and that was something the young boy didn't get to experience much. Excited by the prospect of a friend, Neville decided he was going to cling to this good thing as long as he could.

"Okay, Professor Sprout said this plant would grow better in a dark spot," the boy explained excitedly as he held the potted purple plant in his dirt covered hands.

"I do live in the dungeons, Neville," she chuckled which made his round cheeks tint a light shade of pink.

"I know, but I'd like- I would want to check up on it too, if that's okay."

Ana saw the boy start to slump again, like he did when he felt like he said something wrong; she didn't want him to feel like that. Whether or not he knew it, Ana was happy to have a friend who didn't side-eye her when she talked about plants during dinner. Lucian couldn't get the handle of it, Alex and Calista were always discussing something muggle, and Aeron hated dirt, so Ana was effectively out of luck among her friends. But perhaps she had a new friend in the skittish Gryffindor boy.

"No, you're absolutely right, Neville. We'll just have to think of another spot," she acknowledged with a smirk, "And I think I know the perfect place!"

She jumped from her spot and led the younger boy back into the castle with a skip in her step. The boy giggled and followed right behind her as she clumsily weaved herself passed people and around the corridors, nearly running into them all. He had only been at the school for a month at this point so he wasn't entirely sure where she was leading him, but Neville trusted the snake wholeheartedly.

Ana turned back with labored breath from both exhilaration and exhaustion as she took the boy to the library. He figured it was an odd place to suggest until she continued walking into the far back room, one that he had never seen before when he had looked for a book before. It was tucked away and out of sight from the main floorplan and he could see why it would be a great hiding spot for their shared plant.

When she was positive no one was watching the two, she opened the door with a wave of her wand and walked back into the room he ran away from during her first year. The room was giant with its familiar tiered steps and dark arches that led to nowhere. Every window was boarded up which made Ana shiver at the lack of warmth, but it was perfect.

"This is fantastic, Ana! I couldn't have thought of a better place," he complimented as he handed her the potted plant. He turned away from her as she surveyed where in the room she would put it, eventually she settled on a dark nook in the far back end of the deserted room. It looked right at home, and the leaves of their baby plant stretched as it settled into the shade.

Ana began telling Neville how she had to run away from a prefect last year and that's how she ended up in this very room, giggling at the ridiculous memory. It felt so strange to think about how scared she was of this room to only survive a Quidditch fire later that very year. She continued reminiscing for a moment, until she realized Neville's mind was entirely somewhere else. Instead of listening to her rather unimportant anecdote, the shivering boy was mystified by the floor length mirror Ana forgot was stored at the base of the steps.

Neville stared into the antique looking glass with longing, his eyes were welling with emotion and his fingers fumbled at the hem of his sweater sleeves. It was as if he was put in a trance, not even the sound of her approaching footsteps got the boy to break his focus. Ana stood off to the side so her reflection did not tamper with whatever was making Neville so entranced.

"You okay, Neville?" the worried girl whispered, she feared speaking at a normal volume would disrupt whatever he was experiencing.

"I see my parents," he mumbled almost silently as his hand reached out and touched the glass ahead of him, which resulted in his scared face erupting in a soft smile. His nose sniffled. "Come look," he pleaded without meeting her gaze as he stepped aside to allow the girl to join.

Ana slowly trudged to his other side, taking up the vacant spot in the mirror. In the reflection was herself and Neville, but along with them was a kind looking woman, a grinning man, and a baby.

"Is that you?" Ana pointed to the little baby the woman was rocking to sleep. Neville nodded back to her through the reflection. The woman looked positively elated at them, her smile stretched from ear to ear while the man beside her chuckled softly at the two. It looked like a happy family, which proved to be true as the man dipped his head down to place a gentle kiss on her mirrored head. Ana was a bit unnerved by Neville's father giving her a kiss on her head, even if it was just an image, but she accepted it regardless.

"You guys look happy, Neville," she chimed softly at the boy who refused to look anywhere other than directly in front of himself.

"We were, at least that's what my Nan says anyways."

At the sound of Neville's desolate tone, Ana began to notice just how silent and tense the room was. Before she got a chance to comment on what he said, Neville's head fell to the ground, focusing on his shoes as he began to make his way out of the dark room. With a final glance at the mirror, Ana shuffled out into the rest of the library to follow him. The halls were silent as they walked with each other; Neville's whole energy had changed since he looked into the mirror and Ana could sense just how alarmed he looked.

"Neville are you okay?"

His long lashes fell over his hazel eyes, trying to hide whatever he was feeling from her gaze. Ana was worried he was going to shut her out as he gulped at her question.

"It's just... when I first met you and heard you were a Slytherin I was worried. Slytherins and Gryffindors aren't known for being friends."

Ana watched the boy speak as if his emotions were entirely drained, almost as if someone else was saying the words for him. Neville's eyes were empty as he stared ahead of them, his body moving on autopilot as they navigated the vacant halls.

"And then when I heard you were a Malfoy, I just- I," he began stammering, waddling as he tried not to trip on his long robes, they looked a bit silly as they hung below the young boy's feet, "I figured you were going to hate me."

This wasn't the way she figured this conversation was going to go, all they were supposed to do was find a suitable location for their plant and yet their adventure had taken a turn. She wasn't sure why her being a Malfoy would make him more nervous than the fact that she was a Slytherin, but by the way he refused to look at her again, she realized his fear was very real. He was known to be quiet and nervous for a lion, but Ana just wanted to give the boy a chance to be comfortable around her. That was her plan at least.

"Why would I ever hate you, Neville?"

"Well, I mean- your –your family and mine-"

He was beginning to lose his breath, choking on his own words as he grew nervous yet again.

"You don't have to say anything Neville," Ana comforted the boy before he could entirely spiral into a pit of nerves, "If you can't say what you want to right now, that's okay."

His little front teeth poked out as he offered her a gentle smile, letting out a deep huff of air at her kind words. The two of them were situated it a split in the hallway, one path leading to the dungeons and the other she figured would send Neville to Gryffindor's common room. Ana became overwhelmingly aware of the fact that they were now out in the open. If anyone saw her with a Gryffindor, it would probably catch the attention of some wandering eyes. Quickly and before a person walked by them, Ana smiled one last time at the boy while he waved and squeaked his goodbye as they walked to their common rooms.

Ana worried a bit at Neville's blunder; she had never known that her family and his had some sort of strained history. If she was ever made aware of a wizarding family, it was usually because her father had some business to handle. Or her mother had connections with another pureblood family. The fact that the Longbottom's were never included made the hair on Ana's neck stand on end. If they weren't talked about, Ana could only assume that her family didn't respect them. Maybe Neville wasn't out of his mind when he judged Ana before meeting her, she lamented. The idea of someone being scared of her before she even got the chance to introduce herself made her stomach twist in both sadness and anger. If only her name didn't hold so much power. If only her name didn't ignite fear in other people. If only her name wasn't her own. Perhaps she'd be happier.

~

It had been hard for the core five to hang out in the common room since the fight that took place a few week ago with Draco and his little crew. For their safe, it would have been smart for them to stay away; the scratch on Flint's face had just started to disappear from his horrid face. Whenever Alex saw the Quidditch captain, she smirked at him and to all of their surprise, he kept his distance. The guy was an even bigger coward than they had anticipated.

The whole situation hurt Ana more than she let on; seeing her little brother run around with them pained her. He was always so cheeky and happy with her at home, no matter how depressing the Manor itself was. But now, he would hardly pay attention to her, he was always running off as his little posse followed close behind him. She was fearing she wouldn't get a chance to truly hang out with him without the threat of another fight between her friends and his. His friends were also rude little brats she concluded, they were intolerable in every way.

Despite the threat of another run in, all five of them were sitting on the floor of the common room, gathered around one of the coffee tables. Calista was painting Alex and Ana's nails with a stash of nail polishes her aunt had sent over for the girls. Ana's nails were already a pretty maroon color while she was now applying a deep hunter green to the other girl. They were all giggling over the way Snape had tripped on his robes earlier that day, bringing a well needed distraction to a concerned Ana.

Lucian sat beside her, waiting for his turn to get his nails painted while Aeron just sat and quietly watched the whole process intently. Multiple issues had been weighing on her mind, she had no idea how to make sense of the Draco situation, but she hoped she could get an explanation for something else that was bothering her.

Ana turned to Aeron once Lucian had redirected his attention to his sister, "Can I ask you a question?"

Aeron's eyes widened at her sudden seriousness, but he nodded nonetheless, a patient smile painted his pink face. His hair was no longer hiding his face, Ana rejoiced quietly. She was happy to see he didn't bother to shield himself from his friends like he did at the start of the year. He wasn't fearful of them, which only encouraged Ana to bravely ask the boy something she was dreading.

"You said your uncle talks to you a lot about the wizarding world and magic families right?" She tiptoed into the terrifying topic.

The boy just nodded as his eyes drifted back to Calista who was now painting Lucian's nails white, "He did."

Ana's breath caught for a second, fearing her next question. Not because the question itself was scary, she was just worried she'd hate the answer.

"Can you tell me whatever you know about my family and the Longbottoms?"

"Why on earth would you want to know that?" Aeron's attention was now fully on the blonde girl, his voice raised in concern as she shushed him gently. "Actually, I'm surprised you don't already know."

She knew this was going to be a difficult conversation but she didn't expect Aeron to be so alarmed by her curiosity. The dungeons seemed to be colder this night despite the roaring fire only a few feet away from them. It was either the increasingly colder autumn that was causing her to shake or their current conversation. Ana figured it was most likely both.

"I told you, my parents aren't known for telling stories, but from what I remember, your uncle is. Please, Aeron."

Ana wasn't opposed to acting a bit childish if that meant the boy would spill. She gave the best pout she could which made the boy roll his eyes at her obvious attempt to get him to open up. The snarky reaction helped relax her a bit, it reminded her that she was speaking with a friend, not someone who would judge her.

"Okay, fine, Malfoy," he chuckled, as he propped his head up on his elbow that rested against the coffee table. His chuckle was unfortunately short lived, "Have you ever wondered why your aunt is in Azkaban?"

That was not a good way to start off this conversation; she did wonder about her aunt, but the one time she asked her father about it, he yelled at her to the point of her almost crying herself to bed. After that she never went back to her father when she had a question; and her mother was almost equally as private. For her own sake, Ana learned early on to just keep whatever she thought to herself. The thought of her aunt having anything to do with the Longbottoms was alarming to say the least.

"What did she do?"

Ana remained still, while Aeron stared at her apprehensively, his brown eyes looked more gray than chocolate as he messed with his shaggy hair. He took one glance at the other three and gestured for Ana to follow him to a quieter part of the common room, "I don't want you to freak out," he revealed once they were alone.

"What did she do," Ana blurted, growing more anxious by the question the longer it remained unanswered.

"It's not just her," he began as he teetered his weight from one foot to another, "It was your aunt, her husband and a few more death eaters."

Aeron's voice decreased to a cautious whisper as he uttered the last two words to her. The term was something Ana had heard in passing by her father. She didn't dare ask him about it though.

"After the war tension was still high. It had gotten better, but things were still intense for everyone. Purebloods, halfbloods, mud-" he paused for a second, almost as if a shock had ran through his bones, "muggleborns. No one felt safe even though the fighting had stopped. A lot of people were killed from the war but even among the survivors, enemies still remained. Your aunt's enemies were the Longbottoms."

That piece of information felt like someone ripped her throat out of her neck. "Enemies?" Ana croaked, fearing what else the boy would tell her about Neville's family.

"They were on opposing sides and to your aunt, the war apparently wasn't over. My uncle said that they captured the Longbottoms and did truly unspeakable things to them. Unforgiveable things," Aeron frowned, his bushy brows crinkled as he retold the story, "My uncle didn't say much more, only that they were no longer the same after it all went down. That's why your aunt and uncle were arrested."

She felt sick. Actually, physically sick at the news and she wiggled her nose to distract her from how devastated and unfair it all was. The longing look that Neville had when he stared and his parents in the mirror all made sense now. His fear over Ana being a Malfoy made sense. Her whole reputation made sense, Snape's comments about her lineage from the year prior suddenly felt incredibly appropriate. All she wanted to do was sit, or possibly scream as the room around her looked more blurry by the second.

"I'm sorry, Ana. I truly am."

Ana nodded at the boy; he surveyed her reaction to the truth that had been kept from her for so long with a kind smile. She felt herself shutting down, her brain putting her body on pause in an attempt to process it all. It was overwhelming to learn that she shared blood with someone who destroyed the life of a boy she considered a friend. Perhaps Neville wouldn't want to be her friend anymore, and Ana feared having to give up the younger Gryffindor boy because of something her family did.

Alex and Lucian's laughs interrupted her panicking mind, keeping whatever tears she had from falling. They looked so happy as Calista finished painting Lucian's toe nails, Alex was holding her brother's feet down as he tried to wiggle away. Ana giggled at the sight, the sound brought a smile to Aeron's face which was softening the longer he watched the girl in front of him.

"Come on," he nodded towards the, trying to draw attention away from the devastating conversation they finished. Ana agreed as she wiped at her drippy nose.

Alex was no longer holding Lucian captive, although his toe nails were now a light blue. His face was bright and infectious, it practically forced her own face to match his smile. Even though she felt empty on the inside, the bit of warmth she found from him and the rest of them began to help her. When Ana sat back down near Lucian, he held out his hands to compare nail colors with her. He was so delighted by the little smiley face Calista put on his thumbs, which was such a Lucian thing to do, Ana hummed.

"You want your nails done, Aeron?" Calista offered.

He took a second to decide, his eyes hopped from friend to friend, seeing just how happy they all looked at the moment with their now colorful fingernails. Even Ana's face was cheering up a bit as she waited for him to answer.

"Okay, go for it," he rolled his eyes despite plopping down next to the only muggleborn in all of Slytherin. The sounds of their laughter filled the cold air when he immediately pulled a neon purple out of all the options available to him. Ana assumed he would pick a black or gray color, but his smile intensified as Calista began painting his nails the pretty purple. Seeing him with Alex and Calista made her sigh gratefully. It was the best feeling to see them go from hating each other to joking and acting like genuine friends. The boy that sat in front of her now was a different person; hopefully a happier person.

The common room door's clattering closed, making the sound echo within the room, the growing footsteps belonging to Draco. It was too late for the first year to be roaming the castle. Ana would know, she snuck out for half the year, deliberately breaking curfew. He made a beeline for the dorms, not even taking a second to glace around the room.

"Draco!"

He jumped at his name being called, and yet at the sight of his sister, he still continued towards the stairway. It irritated Ana; he never ignored her when they were home. On the contrary, it was usually Ana who searched for moments of solitude since Draco always preferred to be near her. His current behavior was not her little brother, worry began to fester in her gut as he continued on his way.

"Draco!" she sat on her heels and hollered at the blonde boy who then sprinted away from the group, disappearing entirely. His little blonde bush of a head appeared a moment and then vanished the next. Trying to get him to stay still for a moment was proving pointless, the idea of giving up made Ana unwell. She just hoped whatever he was going through would come to an end soon; she needed her brother back.

"Watch if Callie! I want my nails painted not my whole hand!" Aeron giggled at the girl whose hand had slipped.

Lucian saw Ana's frown and with a hope filled grin, he held up his thumbs to her, revealing the smiles that were decorated on them just moments before. It was dumb and silly, but Ana smiled nonetheless, as he stomach filled with bubbles of warmth. Her friends always knew what to do to help her. Even if Draco was running from her, she had a group of people who continuously showed up for her; that tiny revelation made Ana's heart swell in her chest making her settle into her seat and hum as the cold dungeons brought her peace. These dungeons brought her a family.


	24. Happy Halloween

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Minor depictions of a panic attack.

The Quidditch results were in. Ana was given the position of the new Slytherin chaser and the news had somehow made its way all throughout the school. Draco nearly screamed at the news, talking about how if he made it the following year that his dream of being on the team with his big sister could become a reality. It made Ana's heart warm at his excitement considering it was the most attention he had given her in a long time. The boy didn't celebrate for long, but it was better than nothing, Ana sighed.

Neville gave her a hearty congratulations when he heard she got the position. They spent hours talking about how excited she was about her first game. So far only Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had played, and after Halloween she would have her first game against Gryffindor. Apparently, they also had a secret weapon which scared yet intrigued the girl. She received support from everyone; well, almost everyone.

Ever since the final rooster was announced Alex had hardly spoken a word to Ana. Of course Ana didn't assume the fiery girl would be thrilled at the outcome, she was aware of how hard Alex had trained for the position. Even Ana didn't know why she was picked over Alex, but there was nothing she could do to make the girl feel better. Ana wasn't going to apologize for being chosen, but the cold shoulder she was getting from one of her best friends was starting to unnerve her.

All five of them were eating dinner at the Great Hall and the tension in the air was palpable. Alex was uncharacteristically quiet which already made things awkward among the group at times she would glare at the new chaser while she shoveled potatoes into her mouth. It was beginning to make everyone incredibly uncomfortable.

"Alex, if your eyes were lasers, there would be a hole in my forehead," Ana sighed as she slowly looked up from eating her sandwich. They had to get to the bottom of this, the silent treatment was unbearable.

Aeron laughed at Ana's statement while Calista sorrowfully glanced at Alex who was now full on scowling at the girl. Alex dropped her fork loudly and crossed her arms over her chest, which making Lucian roll his eyes and huff out in annoyance.

"Come on, Lex, just drop it," the oldest boy challenged his fuming little sister. "Next year another position opens up. You'll be sure to get it next year. I promise you."

"What makes you so certain?" she snapped back, making an already anxious Calista jump back in surprise. "You were positive I was going to make it this year, too, Lucian."

At the admission, Lucian dropped his head, his tan skin grew red as he fiddled with his tie. She didn't care that Lucian thought Alex was going to get on the team, Draco would have done the same for her. But what Ana hated was how venomous the girl was towards her. She understood why, but goodness it was getting old real quick.

"Alex, if you wanna have beef with anyone, you should just slap Flint in the face again," Aeron quipped at the fuming girl. "Maybe that's why he didn't pick you, he's probably pissed."

"Stay out of this Wright, you know exactly why I did that. Hell, Flint probably picked Ana so the team could get handouts from the great Lucius Malfoy," she mocked in a fake sweet tone.

Everyone stared daggers at the girl after the comment left her mouth. Alex refused to look at them: a mixture of astonishment of embarrassment graced all of their faces, the chatter that filled the rest of the Great Hall fell on deaf ears. Ana, however, couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness that was spewing from one of her best friend's mouths. It wasn't a joyful laugh, it was acidic and at the sound of it, Alex turned stiff and nervous. Ana could handle Alex being rude, but once her character was called into play, that was it.

"Look Alex, whatever issue you are dealing with right now, you better sort it out," Ana suggested matter-of-factly, a small snarl painted the pale girl's face. "You can be pissed at me all you want. But the only person who will be miserable is you."

And with that, Ana stood up with her chin high as she strutted as well as she could out of the hall. She would've liked to stay for the Halloween themed desserts, but all Ana wanted was to get out of the room. The call of the warm Slytherin fireplace flashed in her mind as her legs directed her to the dungeons. Eventually Alex and her paths would cross again, but if she could prolong that reunion, she was going to.

"Bibi!"

Ana stopped on her heels to see Fred Weasley jogging behind her. It was strange to see the usually bright boy drowned by the darkness of the dungeons. He looked like a fire trying to survive in a tiny damp cave; Fred belonged in the sun, Ana thought. Not in the shadows.

"What are you doing down here, Weasley?" She smiled at the boy who was puffing, out of breath from chasing her down the flights of stairs.

"Well first of all, congratulations on making chaser," he pulled out an orange cupcake from behind his back and presented it to the girl, grinning widely.

"You mean the Fred Weasley is doing something nice for me?" Ana's eyebrows quirked in surprise as she took the treat from his steady hands.

"Yeah, don't get used to it, blondie."

Both of them laughed at their continuous bickering; if there was one thing they could expect from one another it was their uncanny ability to get on each other's nerves. Ana never really felt the need to actively annoy George, though. She found it more fun to try and turn Fred's own twin brother against him, which George enjoyed partaking in. As she looked at the singular boy in front of her, Ana frowned a bit while she split her cupcake in half.

"Where's George? Don't you usually come as a packaged deal?" Ana handed one half of her cupcake to the boy. He smiled a bit as he took the crumbly cupcake and tried to eat most of it in one bite.

"No," he mumbled with a mouth full of cake, "He's talking to Ang about how we're going to destroy you guys in the first game."

Ana laughed at his jab as she rolled her eyes, but the fact of the matter was that her involvement in the game was causing tension among her friend group. Her face fell as she began nibbling on her cupcake, recalling the way Alex was boring into her with such anger.

"What's wrong, Bibi?" He asked as he stuffed the rest of the dessert into his mouth. Icing was all over his hands which made Ana grimace for a moment. For some reason she was fine being covered in dirt after being in the greenhouses for hours but the sight of food on the boy's hands made her skin crawl.

Ana was about to tell Fred what was bothering her when the floor beneath her started to shake. The torches that lit the dungeon walls flickered at the vibrations, some extinguishing all together leaving the hall dim and cold. It made Fred freeze, his eyes grew wide and bulging as her peered over her shoulder in fear. Her breathing became labored at the sight of the frightened boy but she didn't dare turn around.

He began to grasp at the air, frantically yet silently beckoning Ana towards him. She followed his directions with shaky legs, and as soon as she started walking a large gargling grunt blared from behind her.

"Run!" Fred screamed as he began sprinting down the dungeon halls, with Ana right on his heels, following the boy wherever he'd take her. As she ran, she quickly turned to see what was running towards her. The sight made her heart tighten in her chest, whatever it was, it was brutish, monstrous, and angry. Furiously spurting and drooling as it hunted her down. The only thing she could do was run and pray her legs would not fail her.

Fred made a quick dart to the right, into another hallway, desperately jiggling any door handle he saw, crying out when no doors opened. The bestial cries got louder behind Ana and the burn in her legs was overwhelming, but she couldn't stop running. After a few more tries, Fred swung open a door and waved her down. His stance was stiff, like he was waiting for the beast to appear behind Ana, but the girl was able to make it to the door just in time.

Once the door closed behind Fred, he turned around to find the Slytherin girl staring at the door as if she'd seen a ghost. She remained unnaturally still, as if all functions in her body were shutting down before his very eyes. The grunting was outside the door and it scared the boy beyond belief. But it didn't compare to Ana's fear as she found herself in a dark closet. Like the one from her nightmares.

It had been a while since Ana had seen this image. Here she was, hidden in a pitch black tiny room as terrifying growls shook the ground beneath her. The only thing separating her from danger was a thin wooden door that practically did nothing to make her feel safe. The walls around her seemed like they were caving in on her, the air thick and heavy as she fell to the floor.

When she dreamt of this, the only thing that brought her peace was the fact that she would wake up, and the nightmare would disappear. There was no waking up from this; she was living her nightmare.

Fred fell to his knees as the petrified girl shook on the cold stone floor. Her knees were tucked into her chest as she stared through him and at the door, her typically bright blue eyes appearing empty and glazed over.

"Hey. Hey, Bibi," he stuttered quietly, as he crouched to get a better look at her, "Everything will be okay. We're safe."

A deafening roar came from a hallway nearby, which made Ana wince in fear. She was hardly aware of her surroundings, the only thing she could perceive was the tiny dark room that kept her prisoner and the danger that awaited her. Fred's voice was quiet compared to the pounding of her pulse in her ear.

"Bibi, everything will be okay," a concerned voice called to her but it felt too far away for her to pay attention to it, "Bibi, look at me, please."

The sound was desperate, worried. Her instinct was to fall back into herself and shut down, but her eyes were drawn to a pair of dark brown ones that bore into her so strongly that she was forced to pay attention to them. Fred smiled at her response, "Hey! There's the snake. Good."

Fred smiled at her as the ground continued to rumble beneath them, "You have nothing to worry about, Bibi. I'm here."

She nodded automatically at his promise; despite all their past issues, she believed him.

"Do you trust me?"

Ana looked at him; she could tell that he was scared, she figured it'd be bizarre if he wasn't horrified. Fred had his wand at the ready, subconsciously already pointed at the door in case the monster found their hiding spot. He was situated between her and the door, his frosting covered hand resting on one of her arms. She noticed the act of comfort and welcomed it. Her heart was pounding in fear, but not from his hand on her sweater sleeve. He had asked her a question, she remembered, and without having to think for even more than a second Ana knew her answer.

"I trust you," she whispered in a dry yet certain voice.

He let out a breath as his mouth curled into a reassuring smile, giving her arm a gentle squeeze before he stood up and faced the door which was now shaking harder. Fred held out his wand and put half of his attention on the door, the other half was focused on the girl behind him.

She clamped her eyes shut as the fierce groans grew louder. Before she registered what she was doing, the frightened girl reached out and held onto the bit of pants that capped at Fred's ankles. Ana wasn't sure what she needed, but the act of pinching the fabric beneath her fingers was enough to ground her. It reminded her that this wasn't her dream, she wasn't alone in any of this. She had someone who was willing to help her.

And that was his plan. No matter how close the grunting got to the flimsy door, Fred was going to stand his ground. While the hand that held his wand was steady, his free hand trembled a tiny bit in nervousness. He was about to shake it out until he felt his palm being held by another cold hand. Fred turned to see Ana was now standing beside him with her wand in her empty hand pointing at the door. She was shaking but gave him a tiny smile before staring ahead of her with focus.

A grunt redirected his attention to the door as the hand in his held on tighter. His eyes were glued to the light that seeped at the bottom of the door, observing whether or not something was standing in front of it. But nothing ever did creep up to them. The corridor remained silent for a minute and then for five minutes. Fred stood still, trying his very hardest to pick up on any sound or movement that happened beyond the door while Ana closed her eyes to center herself.

Once he was sure they were in the clear, Fred faced Ana, watching her as she took deep breaths in an attempt to relax. It was eerily quiet, the two of them standing there together amidst the creaking of the dungeon walls. Fred was comfortable in the cold room, but he noticed how her shoulders never stopped shuddering.

"You doing okay, Bibi?" Fred whispered just in case they weren't alone. They hadn't heard anything alarming in a while, but he wanted to still be careful.

Ana nodded in response, her face was no longer like marble as she dropped her strained brows, "What was that thing?"

Fred shook his head, "I have no idea, I didn't really care to get a good look at the beast," he chuckled quietly which made the girl sigh in relief. A tiny smile grew on her face which comforted the nervous boy, "I'm just glad it's gone."

The sound of multiple footsteps marching down the hall caught their attention, breaking them out of their silence. Intrigued, Fred opened the door slightly, while he had Ana stay back, still holding onto her hand for comfort. She watched as his red head dipped around the door, still grasping to her wand in case she needed it.

"The Slytherins are headed to your common room," Fred announced, as he swung the door open fully with a grin. "You should join them. We don't know if that thing is going to come back."

He was right, being with the rest of her house right now would probably be the best thing for her; at least it would provide more protection than the tiny broom closet they were currently hiding in. Everything happened so quickly, but as Ana stared at the boy in front of her, she found herself appreciative that out of all people, he was the one to help her. A part of her wished she hadn't been so frightened, but the beast paired with the tiny dark room overwhelmed her. Her hand slipped from his as Ana walked past Fred and into the dingy dungeon corridor. She wanted to run to her bed, but she felt like she couldn't leave him.

"Aren't you scared of going back to your dorms? You're going to have to cross the whole castle."

Fred scoffed at her light-heartedly, taking notice of her worried expression, "Nah, I'll be peachy. The only one who has to worry is you, blondie. George and I aren't going to go easy on you during our Quidditch match, even if it will be your first time playing."

And just like that, they were back to normal. Ana laughed mockingly at the overly confident boy as she began to walk towards the direction of the Slytherin common room, "That's a lot of talking coming from someone the Slytherins demolished last year. Who won the Quidditch final again?" Ana reminded with a raise of her brows.

Fred pointed his wand at her in a playful threat, "This isn't over, Malfoy," he grinned as he waved the wand overdramatically. She walked backwards, not losing eye contact with the boy until he turned and disappeared down a hall.

Once Fred was gone, Ana scurried to the Slytherin common room as fast as she could. She was not going to risk getting caught by that beast all alone. Thankfully, she was close to the entrance of Slytherin House and as soon as she walked down the stone steps to the sunken hangout spot, Ana was crushed in a bone breaking embrace.

"What the hell, Ana?" Alex yelled in the girl's ear, not bothering to lower her voice despite being an inch way.

"Really? Alex, you wanna fight me some more, while you're hugging me?" Ana's voice was laced in confusion. She was about ready to face the beast again instead of getting her head chewed off by one of her best friends.

"No, you idiot, where did you go? I was goddamn terrified."

"Well, we all were," Aeron confirmed while he, Calista, and Lucian waited off to the side, allowing Alex to have her moment with the girl, "But Lex did cry."

"Wait, you're not still mad at me?" Ana pulled away from Alex slightly to get a good look at her, her light eyes were swollen and bloodshot.

Alex held her friend tighty, "Well, I'm still pissed," she revealed, which made Ana roll her head back in annoyance. "But that's my issue to deal with. I'm just happy you're not dead."

For the rest of the night, the five of them took residence at a few available couches in the common room. Calista and Alex were snuggled under a blanket while the boys told her of Professor Quirrell's outburst and fainting spell. Ana was surprised that she and Fred were the first ones to encounter the troll and after hearing how vicious they could be, she felt more grateful for the Gryffindor boy by the second.

Pounding footsteps caught her attention, and at the foot of the dorm's stairs was Draco. He looked restless and completely anxious with his hair sticking up like he'd been pulling at it for some time. Once she noticed him, he darted across the common room and basically tackled his big sister in the most desperate bear hugs of all time.

"Hey, bud. It's okay," Ana cooed as she held on tight to her little brother, running her hand in his hair, "I'm fine, Draco."

He refused to look at her, instead Draco just continued to dig his nose into her robes in an attempt to hand on to her, as if she was going to disappear.

Ana and her friends were all shocked by Draco's sudden display; it had been so long since he actually showed any care or concern for his sister. Ana knew she couldn't escape her brother's grasp at a moment like this, so she continued to listen to the boys; discussion while she soaked in every moment she could with her brother. This was what she wanted, maybe not the crying and his snot running down her robes, but she wanted to be there with him. And now he was.

Lucian was going on about a technique he wanted to try during their first Quidditch game, but Ana couldn't even begin to think about Quidditch, the only thing she could think of was how she didn't jump when Fred grabbed onto her sweater sleeve and why she felt comfortable enough to grab onto his hand. She should've pulled away from him, she should've created distance between the two. And yet when the moment came, she accepted the act of comfort and offered one in return.

Alex and Calista had already retired to the dorms while Lucian and Aeron followed suit shortly after. Meanwhile, Ana fell asleep in the common room, with Draco huddled beside her. She wanted to join her friends and lay in her cushy bed, but Ana didn't want to wake up the sleeping boy who was now gently snoring next to her. It put a smile on her tired face; there was no use in fighting her heavy lids, so Ana gave Draco a kiss on the top of his fuzzy head and settled into a peaceful sleep.


	25. Learning to Lose

“Professor?” Ana started as she sat by and watched the potions master work on her Dreamless Sleep Potion. She had been sitting in on his potion making, trying to understand the method and skill needed to brew the mixture.

Of course that meant spending more time in the cold dungeons which caused her to shake, regretting how terrible her clothes were at keeping her warm. If she was surrounded by her friends that would take the edge out of her boredom, but Professor Snape was not going to allow a whole swarm of students to spend even more time with him.

Without paying her much attention, the man grumbled in response. His eyes were sunken in and tinted a deep violet. With all the chaos that happened during Halloween, Ana could only imagine how tired the man was. It was also probably incredibly exhausting making fun of Harry Potter and all the boy’s friends on the daily. She never understood why he did it and found it strange just how involved the grown man was with the house rivalries.

“Could I possibly start brewing my own potion?” She asked as he crushed a few beans and drained the liquid into his deep charcoal cauldron. He was incredibly focused when doing anything regarding potions, almost to the point of refusing to blink or breath.

“There is no need for that, Ms. Malfoy. The shelf life for this potion can last months,” he groaned with furrowed brows as he pointed to the bubbling liquid in front of him. “Your batch from the summer lasted you up until now and it would be foolish of you to waste ingredients just to brew beside me.”

“I didn’t mean right at this moment, Professor Snape,” she corrected as he turned to collect more ingredients. “I was talking about the next batch of Dreamless Sleep Potion. Or perhaps my medicine so Madam Pomfrey wouldn’t have to do that for me anymore.”

At the mention of her medicine, he stopped in his tracks to redirect all of his attention onto the young girl, “And why would you want to tamper with that by brewing it yourself?”

Snape’s eyes squinted in disapproval, the act making Ana uneasy. The man hadn’t ever displayed this much annoyance at the young girl, the shift made her suspicious of his sudden defensiveness. She wasn’t scared of it, just curious as to why the grown man looked at her like she was a monster.

“The only reason I ask is because with all the unpredictable things that seem to be happening all the time, I’d like to have my potion ready when I need it, instead of having to wait for it. I fear missing my potion if I don’t get to it on time,” she explained firmly.

“You’ve never missed a dosage have you?” He quickly sputtered as he swung around to face hear head on. A small ball formed in her throat at the confrontational man before her.

Ana shook her head; even if she had to run to her potion from the common room, she wouldn’t ever miss taking it. That was the one thing she had always been told to remember. At the sound of her answer, Snape relaxed his tensed face and went back to collecting ingredients.

“If you think I would allow you to brew your own medicine, than you are not the bright witch that I had assumed you to be.”

“Well is there a chance I could eventually brew it myself?”

“No, Ana you cannot.”

“Well why n-“

“Because I said so!”

The man was full out yelling at her, his nose was flared like the troll from Halloween night and it made her feel cold and infuriated. Unlike the troll, she wasn’t scared of Snape. His little charade of being mean and intimidating was poorly acted out, like Draco when the boy tried lying to her. Despite his shouting, Ana sat up straight, nodded once at the man’s snarl and offered him an icy glare in return.

“Then why am I here, Professor?” she criticized bitterly. “I don’t sit here and watch you drop herbs into a pot because I have absolutely nothing to do. I’m here because I want to learn.”

Snape stared at her with no emotion, his grip on the cauldron tightening. Ana knew it was going to take more to get a reaction from him. He was stubborn beyond belief but she was patient and determined.

“I’m here because I find potion making interesting. I’m here because I grew up watching my mother make potions and tonics for me and I am here because last year you said that I seemed like a promising student. Why won’t you give me the chance to prove it?”

Any bit of air that existed within the potion’s classroom seemed harder to inhale; she said all she had to. It was up to Snape to either turn her down and order her out of the room or surprise her by doing the opposite. By the stern look on the man’s face she assumed she would be marching back to her common room in a few minutes.

Without saying another word, Professor Snape abandoned the girl at the table and went back into his office. She found it comical how he refused to acknowledge her and felt the need to run from a twelve year old girl. Ana rolled her eyes and stood up from her stool in aggravation when Snape returned looking cold. He peered down at her for a moment and then presented her with a small bit of parchment. She unrolled it to see in a neat script detailing the directions for brewing the Dreamless Sleep Potion.

“This particular potion is bothersome even for the most seasoned masters to brew,” he warned as she began reading the seemingly never ending ingredient list and method required for it, “If you truly want to prove yourself than you will come back to me with a fully perfected potion.”

Ana knew that this was going to be a challenge but she desperately wanted to prove the arrogant man wrong, but at least she got her hands on what she wanted.

He was no longer looking at her like she was just another student that he despised, he was looking at her like he too hoped she could make this work. Snape nodded at the young girl in approval and she mirrored his movement back to him; they were on the same page. They both hoped she could pull this off.

~  
“Go, go, Gryffindor! Go, go, Gryffindor!”

If Ana wasn’t nervous beforehand she was now; the gleeful cheers for her opposing team only reminded her of how the Slytherin versus Gryffindor game was for the whole school. Her very first game as the new Slytherin chaser weighed heavily on the girl, the pressure of her new title seemed overwhelming.

From behind the Slytherin drapes, Ana stood beside Marcus Flint which made her blood boil, but right now she had to focus on the game. He looked as dreadful as ever, his face scrunched in a sneer, but she had to stifle a laugh once she saw a tiny mushroom sprouting from behind his ear.

“Hey, blondie,” Lucian whispered from behind her and without looking Ana knew that he was probably giving her the most kind smile, “You’re going to do just fine. Don’t worry.”

She found it pointless for him to tell her not to worry, there was lots to worry about. And yet she couldn’t help but feel comforted by the sweet reminder. No matter how many summers she spent speeding around on her broom with Draco or how well she did during her tryout, Ana’s mind was preoccupied on the fact that Gryffindor’s team had Harry Potter as their newest member. Maybe that meant less people would be staring at her, which at this point was what Ana wanted.

The curtains that stood between her and the Quidditch Pitch opened wide and she mounted her Nimbus 2000 before finally taking off. Screams of excitement and pride filled her ears and made them ring with just how loud everything was. From her position she could see Draco with his bumbling friends not too far away from Alex, Calista and Aeron who were hollering and waving at her wildly.

Madam Hooch was going over the rules of the game while she finally focused on the two Gryffindor beaters who waved the short bats at her mockingly. She wasn’t going to let them know just how anxious she was so she raised her brows at them playfully and smirked with faux confidence.

Ana didn’t get the chance to stare at the twins long before a whistle sounded from below her and the Quaffle was released. Before she could register what was happening, her body dipped down automatically as she swiped the ball from the air. The cool wind pierced against her skin as she zipped towards the Gryffindor hoops. Flint appeared next to her so she passed it off to him to make the goal. After launching the Quaffle, Oliver Wood blocked it far too easily which made her wonder if she should’ve just went for the goal herself.

Once she got into the rhythm of the game, she found that her nerves disappeared completely; not only did she score a few goals of her own, but Lucian and Derrick were blasting any bludger that the twins sent her way. She had to give the boys credit, when they said they weren’t going to go easy on her, they weren’t joking. More often than not, Ana was dodging the iron boogers, thankfully it allowed the other chasers to score.

Of course Marcus Flint couldn’t play a clean game as he grabbed Lucian’s bat and whirled a bludger into an unsuspecting Oliver Wood who took the hit straight to the gut. It hurt Ana to see the boy free fall, but at this point, there was nothing she could do.

“Bibiana Malfloy races towards the pitch! With Wood out cold this is going to be an easy goal,” Lee yelled over the intercom as she broke away from Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell who were trying their best to steal the ball from her. It had been a while since Ana had been so close to Angelina, but at the moment, they were opponents. “She’s about to score again!”

Ana launched the ball towards the hoops, whirling into the unguarded goal.

“That’s another ten points for Slytherin!”

The announcement made the girl smile widely, enjoying how she was able to contribute to their current lead. As a chaser, there was no time to stay still or observe her surroundings; she had to move on instinct and speed. However, she couldn’t help but notice when out of nowhere, Harry was flailing around on his broom as if it was being yanked by something. Besides his movements, a burning feeling on the side of her neck took her out of the game mentally and in that moment all she could focus on was the crunch of the bludger against her hand as it came into contact with her. The pain was immediate and intense, it took all of her balance just to keep her upright within the air.

“Malfoy took a hit by George Weasley! That’s go- Wait! What is going on with Harry Potter’s broom?”

The injury wasn’t enough to take her out of the game, but there was no way she could hold her broom and the Quaffle at the same time. Without a hand to score with, Ana made sure her body would get in the way of the Gryffindor chasers, although Harry was doing the same as his body jutted harshly across the field. Murmurs of worry erupted around the stadium as the boy who lived was tossed around by some invisible force, but Ana dodged him and the bludgers that kept coming her way.

With every twist on her broom, her hand stung with jolts of pain, each one more painful than the last. She would definitely have to give George the biggest guilt trip of his life once the game was all over. The thought of making the boy apologize to her was the only thing getting her through the agony that was situated in her hand.

As Ana focused on her injury and the Gryffindor chasers, she hadn’t noticed that Harry had regained control of his broom. Across the pitch, Higgs and Harry were neck in neck as they raced for the golden snitch. She was oblivious to the two boys who dove towards the ground at high speeds in pursuit of the ball which was soon to be caught.

“Harry Potter has caught the snitch! Gryffindor wins!” Lee cheered animatedly which caused the rest of the pitch to scream happily, except for the Slytherins who groaned at the loss.

Ana was disappointed in the loss but as soon as her feet touched the ground below, all she could focus on was the growing pain in her wrist and the suspicious burn on her neck. The team was supposed to return to the changing rooms to go over the game, but instead Flint was yelling angrily at the outcome. He was so blinded by his fury that he didn’t even notice that Ana was hurt, or maybe he just didn’t care. Before Flint could do more damage, Lucian ushered her out of the room and accompanied her to the hospital wing.

Ana hung her head as she cradled her injured wrist close to her, the final score began to register to the young girl.

“You did great out there, you know,” Lucian complimented as he strutted down the halls of the castle confidently. She didn’t necessarily believe him, but she did know that she did what she could; even if she did poorly, Ana at least gave her all.

With the lack of a smile or anything, Lucian continued, “I mean, you got hit with a bludger and pretty much laughed it off. That’s badass.”

At the sound of that, Ana stopped in her tracks to laugh at the boy, “Badass?”

“Badass.”

Fred blurted in agreement tiredly; he and George had followed behind the two snakes, hoping to catch up with them. Ana attention went straight to the younger twin whose browns eyes were wide with fear, the tips of his ears matched the red hue of his hair. She could tell he was worried, but that didn’t stop her from wanting to have a bit of fun.

“I see your aim is incredibly accurate,” Ana fake pouted as she dangled her injured wrist at the boy, “Fred’s aim could use a bit of work.”

At that jab, Fred rolled his eyes and turned away from her entirely. She loved pushing that boy’s buttons, and the insult made Lucian snicker beside her.

“Ana, I am so unbelievably sorry,” George whined woefully. “The thing is I didn’t even aim the thing. I got distracted by Harry when the bludger was coming after me and I just whacked it away and right into you.

His voice trailed off at the end of his explanation, running out of breath from his fear and tiredness. Ana decided to show the poor boy mercy, it was a mistake after all.

“George, I’m not angry. It’s okay,” she said as a rush of pain redirected her attention to her wrist, but she held in any signs of discomfort in order to reassure the boy of her lie.

“You don’t hate me?”

“No, I don’t hate you.”

George released a shallow sigh at her acceptance, the pale color returning to the boy’s face.

“Ana, we should get to the infirmary,” Lucian reminded her softly, not trying to come between their conversation, “your wrist is turning blue.”

All of their eyes widened at her almost fully bruised wrist, the damage seemingly getting worse by the second. Ana shuffled on her feet and that alone made the girl gasp in pain, which made all four boys jump in concern.

“Sorry, boys, but I’m gonna steal her from you, if that’s alright.”

Of course, Lucian would be perfectly charming to the boys he had not only played against but who also injured one of his best friends. Ana was appreciative for his actions since Aeron or Alex probably would’ve started yelling at the twins. Somehow, Lucian always knew what to say no matter who it was.

“Congrats on the win, Weasleys.”

“Thanks,” the boys said together, both with hints of confusion, which Ana assumed was their reaction to Lucian’s unwavering kindness. It didn't surprise her one bit, that's just who Lucian was.

All four of them exchanged gentle smiles as Lucian opened the large doors to the hospital. Now her wrist was fully black and spreading further up her arm. The color was dramatic against her pale skin which made it blaring obvious how much worse her injury was getting.

“Ms. Malfoy, welcome back,” Madam Pomfrey welcomed in an exasperated huff.

Ana plopped down on the same cot she laid in the year before after her run in with Trelawney; that memory had been pushed deep within the confines of her brain. It wasn’t one she enjoyed thinking about much.

“Hopefully she doesn’t end up here again,” Lucian joked with the woman who had already begun administering a balm to the girl’s wrist which made her wince at the touch. The pain was brief and the healing effects of the topical was already making her discomfort lessen. Next to her, Lucian leaned against the side table as he watched over the healer at work. He waited patiently as Ana was being cared for which made the girl smile at him. She was still hurting a bit, but Lucian brought her an insurmountable sense of comfort when he beamed back at the girl.


	26. Unusual Encounters

"You're spending extra time with Snape?" Neville choked as he started watering a dandelion root, an ingredient that belonged on the Dreamless Sleep Potion's extensive list. His nose was slightly running from the cold chill that ran through the greenhouse. "That sounds mad to me. I couldn't imagine being around him even more than I do now."

Ana snickered and rolled her eyes at her friend who grew paler the longer they discussed the master of potions. She was aware of the effect he had on other students; he wasn't particularly nice to them, he wasn't even particularly nice to her. Intolerable men were a constant in Ana's life, so she felt equipped to deal with him at least.

"I told you, Neville, I've got to finish this potion before Christmas break!"

"Yes, you mentioned it but why?"

Her face fell as she stared into her cauldron, her mitten covered hands meticulously stirred the potion counterclockwise as the liquid turned a shimmering navy. It was a pretty color, almost like the night sky when she would go out to the Astronomy Tower at night. The view looked gorgeous, especially once it got colder, Ana remembered.

"I can't take the potion home with me for Christmas, so I have to finish it before I leave."

Neville nodded his head, the boy's eyes seemed out of focus as he rubbed at his nose. His cheeks were turning rosy, sitting just below the knit hat that covered his messy hair. It looked cozy and warm; the only item she had to combat the cold were her wool mittens that weren't even hers.

"You're going home for Christmas?"

She peered up to see that the boy was now playing with a little beetle that was resting at the top of a potted shrivelfig plant. He seemed distracted and was speaking quietly. Quieter than he typically did.

"I am. Are you? Going home?" Ana stood from her position to grab a handful of blowflies from the stash of ingredients she had borrowed from Professor Snape. He was annoyed at her for taking from his supply but after having his little hissy-fit, the man gave them up rather easily. Ana never paid too much attention to when he was dramatic, she knew that after his theatrics and snarling that he was all talk and no bite. Unfortunately, Neville only experienced a rude Snape from what Ana heard.

"Yeah, I'm going home. My nan is having a few friends over," he explained with a small frown. "She likes to make the house feel full."

"If it makes you feel any better, Neville, I would much prefer staying here and or going to hang out with you and your nan than going home."

He looked up at her, surprise etched on his face. "Wait, really? You would?" His whole aura flipped, the downturned look was replaced with a cheeky smile the showcased his larger front teeth. That's the Neville she wanted to see.

"Of course I would, you're my friend. Anywhere is better than the Manor anyways."

"And why is that?"

Ana sighed deeply, debating whether or not she wanted to reveal to the boy what she was feeling. He looked so blissfully unaware of what was on her mind as he was bouncing his leg up and down to try to garner some heat to his frozen legs. Ana didn't want to worry the boy, but she sighed before trying to choose the right words to say.

"Going back home isn't very fun for me."

The young boy wiped his nose on his sleeve, looking up at her with gentle hazel eyes and nodding slowly. A comfortable silence hovered between them as they shivered and she worked on the potion.

"I understand why it wouldn't be."

Neville's whisper didn't go unheard by the girl; since talking to Aeron a few weeks back, she knew why the boy was terrified of her family. Their complicated family history proceeded themselves, but all she wanted was to decide who she was. Ana wanted the opportunity to prove to him that she was not like the rest.

"I know I can't undo anything my family has done. Everything that they are or were," her voice was gentle as she slowly began admitting more piece by piece. "I promise that I'm not the same. There's not really much I can say besides I'm sorry, Neville. Sorry doesn't even begin to cover how terrible I feel since learning about what my family has done."

She took a moment to divert her attention from her potion and onto her friend. His usual kind eyes were emotionless as he shook from the cold, or at least that's what she was going to blame for his restlessness. The greenhouse walls were covered in thin sheets of ice from the harsh snow and cold winds, but Ana began to grow warm from her confession, the heat in her cheeks worsening the longer he was silent.

After a moment he picked up her ladle and continued stirring the potion for her.

"What are you doing?"

"Well, you said you had to finish the potion before Christmas break, so I'm going to help you."

Neville was smiling at her with his wide front teeth, delighting the older girl as she watched him take over the potion, knowing full well that he hated anything having to do with brewing. With a jolt of excitement, Ana hopped off her stool to grab more leaves for her mixture, as the younger boy giggled.

"I appreciate the help, Neville," she hummed the whole walk back to the boy who was analyzing the instructions for her potion.

"Of course, Ana. That's what friends are for."

~

Winter had overwhelmingly fell on Hogwarts, the snow was piled high outside every window and the air was freezing, making every part of Ana trembling. She found the look of the Black Lake beautiful as every creature within it stood almost entirely still due to the hardened water. The only sign of life in the murky lake was the giant squid that swam effortlessly throughout the thick grass and weeds. It was peaceful to watch, and Ana was comforted by it all, as she sat back in her four poster bed gazing out into the water.

Her luxurious pajamas did nothing to kill the cold, but she smiled at the roaring fire that did its best to combat the dropping temperatures. It was far past bedtime, but her mind was racing at the thought of having to go back to the Manor in a few days. The Manor too was dark and cold; however, unlike Hogwarts it was practically empty of any signs of life or festivities. She missed her mother and she missed Dobby, but the idea of leaving the castle to go back there made her stomach turn in unease.

Gentle snores caught her attention; Calista was letting out tiny whistles every time she drew in a breath, her coily hair was sticking up in all directions as she lied on her silk pillow. Beside her on the other bed was Alex who was drooling and lying face down on her bed, making Ana wonder whether or not the girl could properly breathe. The sight of her two friends made her wish all her other friends were with them, she enjoyed the silence that came with the night, but not the solitude.

Despite taking her potion, her body woke her up far earlier than she wanted to, making her sit with her thoughts. She wanted to enjoy these moments before having to leave for the holiday but the longer she sat in her bed the longer she felt annoyed by her own worrisome thoughts. Her mind was reeling, going over the fact that she only had a few days left before hopping on the Hogwarts Express.

Not being able to stay sitting there by herself, Ana downed her medicine and quickly changed into her warmest clothes, foregoing her tiny heels that her mother insisted she brought to school. Instead she opted for a pair of slippers, considering she wasn't planning on going far.

The dungeons were creaking as they always did, but the torches that lit the brick walls kept her warm enough as she shuffled to the potions classroom. She smiled as she looked down at her attempt at brewing the Dreamless Sleep potion. It was coming out perfectly and Ana mentally thanked Neville for helping her on her little project. He didn't join her if she worked in the dungeons, but the whole time she worked in the greenhouses, the little lion was perched by her side.

Whenever he would rattle on about his favorite plants Ana realized she loved Herbology because it helped her with potions, but Neville loved Herbology because he found joy in helping something grow. He was probably her favorite surprise. She wished he would join her all the time, but she wasn't going to make the boy face his least favorite professor. That would just be cruel.

With unparalleled focus, Ana would jump from shelf to shelf collecting whatever she needed to work on her potion and cursing herself whenever she ran out of arms to carry everything in one go. If she was to be alone, having something productive to do was a great way to distract her mind. Potion making took patience and meticulous attention to detail, so she had no room for wandering to things that would worry her.

"What-t-t are you d-d-d-oing up so early, Ms. M-Malfoy?"

Ana turned from her hunched position over her potion to see her Defense Against the Dark Arts professor standing at the arched doorway of the room. He was wringing his hands together nervously as he craned his neck, trying to get a peek of her work that was nearly completed.

She never talked much with Professor Quirrell given the mere fact that she was always on the go, whether it be Quidditch practice, or hanging out in the greenhouse or potions classroom. DADA was never her favorite class; it wasn't horrible but since her last professor was a total bore, the subject just never had much charm to it. All she knew about Quirrell was that he used to teach Muggle Studies until he switched after his year-long tour where he came back skittish as could be. Whatever the man went through must have been dreadful if this was his current state: all frazzled and unhinged.

"Couldn't sleep," she answered plainly, keeping her face neutral as he approached her slowly. She had no time to entertain the professor, she had enough on her mind and enough on her plate. Without paying much attention to him, she continued her work but made a point to sit up straighter. 

He smiled at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he rounded the table to face the working girl.

"And wh-what are you bre-brewing?"

"I'm practicing the Dreamless Sleep Potion," she continued to focus on her cauldron, only gazing up for a moment to not seem rude. When she thought about wanting company, this wasn't the person she particularly had in mind, "Professor Snape wants to test me, so I have to finish this."

The man nodded, his large robes swallowing his body as the fabric wrapped around his head appeared to be pulling to tightly on his scalp. He grumbled lowly, still watching her as she stood up to grab a bezoar from a cabinet. Ana didn't like how he was just watching her as she moved about, surely he had lesson plans or exams to write up considering break was in a few days. She wasn't going to request he left her, but there was something in the pit of her stomach that made her weary of his presence. He wasn't just watching, he was examining her every move, practically burning her skin as he did from the intensity. It made the young girl grab at her neck trying to rub at the sting, the same one she remembered feeling during the Quidditch match.

"Is there something I can help you with Professor?"

His eyes widened at her frank question, her normal tone sounded loud compared to how silent the room had been apart from the bubbling of her potion. Professor Quirrell looked at her inquisitively, like he was searching for something, but his blank stare was not like the typical quirky Quirrell he had been described as. This was something that would make anyone uncomfortable, but Ana did not want to seem fazed, so she stared back at the man with the same empty yet intense glare. It was a bizarre image, a student and professor ogling at each other with vacant expressions as if the whole world had stopped.

However, his expression flipped. It was tiny, but his lip curled into a miniscule smirk, before his face dropped into a frown yet again.

"I c-c-came here looking for Professor S-Snape," his weathered face grinned down at the girl, trying to play it off like he was casual. "Seeing as he is n-not here, I'll be back l-later."

The man gave her a curt nod, holding on to his wrap with shaky hands as he scurried out of the classroom without another word. A shiver ran down her back as soon as the professor left her sight, the icky feeling settling into her stomach at his behavior. She was thankful for the potion acting as a distraction, now it was keeping her mind off the strange professor. It was ready for the final stage, incantations.

Ana stood up from her seat, her height making her barely able to see over the lip of the cauldron, but she felt like she had to stand for this step. She rose her wand and took a deep breath.

"Ana!"

"Bibi!"

Her shoulders slumped at the intrusion, but her eyes rolled playfully at the sound of the twins who had hopped into the room, nearly prancing as they reached her side. They are dressed similarly again, a phenomena she found silly yet charming; she wondered if they would ever grow out of the habit. Fred and George's freckly faces were rosy from the chill of the cold winter morning, but it didn't seem enough to affect their cheery moods.

"Boys as much as I adore you interrupting my intense potion making," Ana joked at the two of them, "I really cannot handle you two right now."

Fred and George playfully collapsed, dropping at the knees to slowly lay onto the stone ground, moaning and groaning like they'd been hit with a nasty jinx. They were far too animated for it being so early in the morning. It was also highly suspicious as to why they were in the potions classroom given they never paraded around the dungeons for fun. But as her potion spat at her, she had no time to pay attention to them.

"What are you doing?"

"She's making a potion, dear brother," Fred snickered, as they lied on the dirty floor, which made Ana feel gross for the both of them.

"Yes! And I need absolute silence from the both of you. I'm not kidding."

At the sound of her stern tone, the boys got up off the floor and saluted her before going to the door and crossing their arms like little soldiers. She chuckled at them for a moment, then fully brought her attention to the potion that was growing more volatile by the second. The incantation on the paper in front of her was in latin, she had Professor Sprout help her with the pronunciation, but it was still daunting to do on her own, especially with a two boys who now made up her audience.

She looked up for a moment to see the boys peering into the hallway, making sure no one was coming their way, a gesture she appreciated with a smile. Before she could allow her nerves to overtake her, Ana tapped the side of the cauldron three times and began the spell.

"Sicut vestis et somnus noctis caelo. Non potest fieri unum stella. Somnium unum."

At the sound of her quietly chanting the words, the twins watched as the potion emanated a dark purple glow. They practically ran over to the bubbling brew before it changed into a dark sludgy gray, their bushy red heads hanging over the cauldron.

"Wicked," they muttered at the same time.

"Looks rancid. What's it for?" George asked as he hopped up and down on the balls of his feet with a large grin on his face. There was a bit of toothpaste on his shirt Ana noticed with a giggle.

"It's a sleeping potion. It allows me to not have nightmares."

"You know, you can just dream of us," Fred motioned between himself and his brother, "we'd make all the bad dreams disappear."

Ana chuckled at his suggestion, if only it were that easy than she would've taken him up on that idea. However, the only thing that seemed to bring her any peace of mind was having that potion ready for her at any given moment.

"Please, Freddie, you two are the subject of my nightmares," she said with a smile which made the two of them exchange knowing smirks.

"That's hurtful, Ana."

"Painful, right here," Fred pointed to his chest right at his heart. "I don't think she deserves our Christmas present, Gred."

Her ears perked at the sound of that. She never anticipated the twins doing anything for her for Christmas, but as the twins pulled a decently sized box out from behind a table, she felt her stomach drop.

"I'm sorry. What?" Ana's face dropped at the sweet offering that they placed in front of her beside her potion. "I didn't know we were exchanging."

"Don't worry about it Ana," George smiled as he rubbed his pale hands together, happily swaying about as Fred held out the box in front of her. It was wrapped in various articles from The Daily Prophet and held together almost entirely with tape. Trying to open it with cold, shaky hands proved to be a challenge.

"We wanted to give you something. Think of it as a Christmas present and a little something for all the antics and stuff we've pulled. And probably will pull in the future."

After battling with the endless layers of tape, Ana opened the dented shoebox and rummaged through even more newspaper clippings. Underneath it all was a maroon knitted hat, which had a tiny "B" stitched onto the inside of it.

"Since you have a pair of my mittens and you're always so damn cold, we figured we'd add to your collection," Fred beamed at the girl who simply stared at the gift with bright eyes.

For once she was rendered speechless, not because she had nothing to say, but because a clump had formed in the back of her throat as she held the delicate hat in her hands. Her nose wiggled the longer she looked at it. It was such a simple gift, but it was perfect.

"I... you guys-"

"Well, Georgie, I think we've done it. She does have a heart."

Ana rolled her eyes, of course Fred would find something to say that would break her from her blissful moment. They both giggled as she brought the hat up to her head, placing it over her neat blonde hair.

"How does it look?" She asked quietly.

"Dashing, Ana!" George declared as he once again started staring at the potion.

"Dashing? Well that is quite the compliment George! Thank you," she smiled up at him, before taking the hat off, effectively making her hair stick up in awkward spots from the static of the wool.

"Don't thank us, blondie, thank our mum," the older twin corrected with a grin, he was leaning against the taller counters. "Also, nice slippers."

Ana's brows rose at the admission while her gaze fell to her feet that were covered by her fluffy white slippers, suddenly wished she picked the tiny heels her mother preferred. However, the idea of their mum knitting something for her was astounding given who she was. Maybe they didn't reveal who the gift was for, it would've probably been hard to convince their mum to make something for a Malfoy.

"Mum was surprised when we requested an extra hat for Christmas, but she didn't question it much," Fred smiled at the now quiet girl. "I just, we just, wanted to make sure you're set for the winter. You nearly froze to death last year."

Ana looked up at the boys, Fred's face was slightly flushed while George remained as pale as ever. She couldn't deny how sweet this all was, their relationship was obviously inching out of the mutual-hating-each-other-for-fun territory and was moving on to something different. It was scary thinking about what this meant. But as she looked at the two bubbling boys in front of her, she couldn't stop the soft smile that painted her chapped lips. The Weasleys were definitely full of surprises, but this was the most wonderful surprise of them all.


	27. A Pit Stop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Implied child abuse, abuse & intimidation

The time had come where all their exams were over and everyone was collecting their items for their trips back home for the holidays. Alex and Calista nearly spent an hour yelling at each other, trying to separate their clothes that had slipped into each other’s trunks throughout the year. Alex insisted on wearing whatever band tees Calista was willing to go without; Ana wanted them too considering all her shirts were far too formal for daily wear, but she knew they meant more to the younger Bole so she didn’t put up any fight.

After her surprise from the twins in the dungeons, Ana collected the Dreamless Sleep Potion that she brewed herself and left it behind for the potions master on his desk with a little note that said:

“I have finished the potion. From what I can tell, it was brewed perfectly, but of course you’ll be able to confirm or deny. Have a good holiday.

-B. Malfoy”

She didn’t care for seeing the man again, a little part of her wanted to avoid going to the classroom again given the way Professor Quirrell intruded the last time she was there. Seeing him in class was fine, but when he imposed on her in the early morning hours Ana found that talking to him as little as possible was better. Also his preference for staring at her like a madman was a bit off putting to say the least.

Once everyone was packed and on the train, the five of them enjoyed the little stereo that Calista brought for their birthday celebration for Alex. Like the year before they enjoyed sweets and music, but Alex nearly screamed when Calista presented her with a whole box of thrifted muggle clothes from her aunt. The two of them hugged for the longest time as the other three were talking about Quidditch.

Her stomach hurt from laughing; Aeron was convinced that he could be a better beater than Lucian and the two of them engaged in multiple rounds of arm wrestles, nearly each time the older boy won with no issue. The mixture of music and laughter made her heart flutter; and as Ana ran her mitten covered hands over her new hat, she sighed at the warmth the Weasley family unknowingly brought her. If this feeling could last the whole of winter break, Ana would never have to search for a fire again, she would just have to think of her friends to keep warm.

~  
Unfortunately that fuzzy feeling disappeared as soon as Ana and Draco stepped off the train; the energy felt different from last year. When she returned a year ago, she was met with an excited and cushy Draco who welcomed her back with open arms. Now, he was distant. His smirk was a permanent fixture on his elfish face, and it made her miss how things used to be. Her mother and father didn’t say much to either her or Draco when they collected them from the station, the four of them moved around silently as if talking or interacting with anyone was beneath them.

The chill that typically ran through her when she was outside stayed with her even as she sat on her bed alone. Instead of hanging out with her like he usually did, Draco stayed cooped up in his room, sending owls all day for a week straight. She had asked him to hang out, suggested they chase his golden snitch or play hide and seek like they did a year ago. But whenever she brought up the idea, he’d promise they’d get to it by the end of the day. Ana would wait for hours, just praying for her bedroom door to open, sometimes she’d even sit outside his door on the cold marble floor. No matter how long she waited, he never joined her, and she would have to walk back to her room alone.

There wasn’t much for Ana to do without Draco, so she stayed in her own room and made small conversation with Dobby whenever he popped in, but even that was short lived. She lamented at the fact that all she could do was sit back, play with her new woven hat and think about how being at Hogwarts would’ve been a better option for her.

Ana would’ve sent out letters, but she feared the idea of her father finding a letter arriving at the house that was signed by a Weasley or a Longbottom. Her only viable options were the Boles or Aeron; Ana knew her father would throw a fit if he saw she got anything from a Muggleborn, so Calista was out of the picture as well.

The greenhouse was too lifeless to visit, every plant inside was covered with a layer of frost that killed whatever life it once held. Nothing about the Manor had life anymore, Ana sighed. 

Since she had no outlet, Ana decided to layer in the best clothes she had, the red wool mittens from the twins, and go out on her broom, despite her hate of the cold. With her Nimbus 2000 back at school, she opted for the less impressive Comet that she had always ridden. Her fingers would cramp and burn from the bite of the wind and the snow, but she didn’t care. She had to do something to occupy her racing mind, so she stayed out in the freezing cold until she couldn’t feel her lungs anymore, just zooming around the property. The only company she had was the swooshing flight of an owl that would pop by Draco’s room with a letter tied to its leg. Other than that she was alone.

Family dinners were the worst; Ana could tolerate being alone in her room or in the air even if she hated it, but when she was forced to sit with the rest of the family she feared oversharing anything. Staying silent was her best option. Evenings would consist of her sitting tall, while avoiding the gaze of anyone and the rest of the Malfoys followed suit. Their table manners were impeccable, except for the lack of lively conversation and easy laughter. Dinners were cold and quiet, a stark reminder of how much better things were back at school.

It was Christmas Eve. Ana, Draco, and their mother were preparing dinner, deciding to give Dobby a break and spending some well needed time together. They had to make sure it was all done before their father came home though; he always got angry when the three decided to cook instead of forcing Dobby to do it. It was a simple meal: vegetables, some bread, and a roast, which Ana skipped out on. Meat had always upset her stomach for some reason.

Draco and Ana were getting a long a bit better; they weren’t hanging out, but Ana enjoyed making brownies with him. His eyes still glowed when he got to the decorating part of the baking. It was a tiny glimpse of her little brother, all happy and fascinated by the mundane things. The smile that spread across his face made her giggle joyfully to herself.

“How’s your wrist, dear?”

“It’s doing a b-“ Ana hesitated for a moment at her mother’s question, “How did you know I broke my wrist?”

Their mother took a moment away from making a sauce to smirk knowingly between her two children, wiping her hands on her apron, “Draco sent an owl after the game. He was very worried.”

Ana blew Draco a kiss jokingly, which he dismissed by rolling his eyes dramatically. Of course he had to be a brat about the whole thing, but knowing that her baby brother cared about her being hurt brought her comfort. That gave her hope; even if he didn’t show it as easily as before, Draco would look after her.

He of course was making a mess with a bowl full of frosting, which Ana quickly cleaned up before anyone had something to say. Draco held on to the decadent fudge and offered a piece to Dobby who was mopping nearby as their mother started doing the dishes. The house elf held out his hand to take the little treat, but Ana flinched hard as a cane met the small creatures head, making a loud crack resonate in the air. Dobby cried out in pain, apologizing profusely before apparating away.

Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of her father, shocked by the harsh blow he delievered before he even uttered a word. Her father readjusted the large walking stick in his hand, his wicked glare now solely focused on Draco. Her father’s face grimaced harshly at the young boy who began walking backwards, trying to gain some distance between him and the furious man.

“What did I say about giving Dobby treats?” His voice barked angrily.

“That I wasn’t allowed,” Draco whined as their father continued to approach the small boy. His face was scrunched in fear, tears threatening to spill over his round cheeks that were growing red.

Ana’s blood began to boil, seeing him yell and seethe at the boy who was only trying to do something nice. Draco’s lip was trembling as he was now pressed against the counter in the corner of the room, there was nowhere left to run.

“Lucius, don't you d-“

“You stay out of this,” her father turned to their mother, pointing his walking stick in her direction as a warning. The women’s head dropped as she wrung the dishtowel in her shaking hands. Her face was totally devoid of color as she looked up into the cold and unforgiving eyes of her husband.

Ana couldn’t stand the man. He was cruel, aggressive, and ruthless: unapologetic for anything he did no matter how bad it was. It made her physically sick to see him inflicting so much fear on her little brother. Her heart was pounding harder and harder the longer he stayed and her hands shook in fury.

Draco tried to escape their father’s wrath, attempting to make a quick dart around the man, but he fell to the ground and protected his head as their father raised his walking stick up. The man went to strike his son hard, but on the down swing, the weapon was ripped from his white knuckles.

Ana didn’t know how it happened, she was far too focused on her labored and angry breathing to focus on what was going on. Her once empty hand was now gripping the heavy walking stick, feeling the weight of it and wincing at the thought of Draco being hit with such a thing. She was trembling in anger, but kept her face steady as she stared her father down. A shiver ran down her spine as three pairs of eyes bore into her.

“Do not hit Draco,” she hissed, doing everything she could to keep her voice even and composed.

Draco stared back at her with misty eyes, his nose was running, but she didn’t think he cared about his appearance at the moment. Her mother and father were shocked, but her father looked at her with an unfamiliar expression. If Ana was correct, she would call the look on her father’s face impressed. He tentatively walked towards her, but she didn’t cower like her brother; all Ana knew to do in moments like this was to freeze and wait. Wait for whatever was coming her way.

His strides were long and slow, creeping towards her with a crooked grin on his weathered face.

“And how did you do that little bit of magic, Bibiana?” he sneered, his lip twitching as he glared at her with a raised brow. “No wand, no spell. That’s highly…curious.”

Ana’s shoulders dropped in surprise; the admiration in his voice felt like a lie from her father’s lips and yet it was real. Unfortunately for the man, he and Draco were terrible at lying; that made his comment all the more obscure. His praise was genuine. Her grip on the walking stick never lessened, even though her father was now looming over the short girl. His face grew closer to hers, almost reminding her of the way Professor Quirrell had acted towards her not too long ago. He was analyzing her, piercing into her eyes like he was trying to find something.

With a despondent huff, he pulled away from his daughter and stood up, holding his hand out for the walking stick. She hesitated handing it back to him, but from her mother’s quiet pleading look, Ana relinquished the large staff to the man. In her hand it looked like an expensive accessory she thought; in his hands it looked like a weapon.

“It’s dinner time,” he croaked before adjusting his clothes and sat down at the head of the table, "Dobby!"

The elf arrived with a pop and went about his duties; although, it hurt Ana to see his head was developing a bump from where he was hit. All throughout dinner, Ana remained silent, the only action she could focus on was the repetitive motion of dipping her fork down to stab into her vegetables and bringing the now cold food into her mouth. Everyone in the room ate in utter silence, doing their best to focus on their meals instead of the little fiasco that went down.

Ana’s stomach was still twisted in knots. She had no idea how the cane flew into her hand. There was no spell, no incantation, no hex on the object. At yet, within a split second, it landed in her hand instead of her fathers. All she could do after finishing her meal and forgoing the dessert was run to her room to escape any possible interrogation. 

The only bit of comfort she could grab onto were her little gifts from the Weasleys. Red wool felt like silk beneath her fingers, making her wish she grew up with the fluffy fabric instead of the cold, stiff ones she knew. Ana began to wonder if everything about the Weaselys were warm, or if everything about the Malfoys was just cold.

Her heart jumped at the gentle knocking that came from her door. In a rush, Ana shoved her present from the twins underneath her pillow, hoping the touch of red was hidden well enough. As Ana turned back around, she was met with the dejected image of her mother, her hair was frizzed at the roots, as if she was running her hands through it. This version of her mother appeared lost, her eyes were glued to the floor instead of her daughter.

She reached Ana’s bed and propped her hands along the bar that held up her willowy canopy, the thin fabric hung dead, still, as she waited for her mother to say anything.

“The Ministry is going to know you did magic,” she whispered.

Her mother’s statement made Ana dumbfounded, the Ministry was never on her mind when she stole the staff, magic wasn’t even on her mind. It was never her intention to do magic while underage; it just happened. Of course there would be consequences for her actions, but she felt like it was excusable.

“But I can handle that,” her mother continued, still staring at the hard floor beneath her heels.

The silence that filled her room was unlike the silence they shared while they were working in the greenhouses. This silence was one of empty words, not effortless company.

“Is that all?” Ana’s bright blue eyes pleaded for her mother to just look at her. But it never happened.

Her mother simply nodded curtly and turned with a squeak, ready to leave the room. Ana was surprised that was all she was getting from the woman, and it pained her to see her so closed off.

“Am I in trouble?” Ana exhaled deeply, hoping she wasn’t on her mother’s bad side.

Finally, woeful grey eyes met her own, “No, I told you. I’ll handle the Ministry.”

“I meant with you. With father.”

Her mother sighed, staring down at her stoic daughter. Ana’s face was untouched by emotion, her long hair twisted between the young girl’s chipped fingernails, braiding the thin strands horribly.

“You’re not in trouble,” her mother’s sentence hovered in the air, awaiting a second half, “with me.”

Ana nodded at the implication, half expecting that answer and half surprised her mother would be truthful about her father’s disappointment. Although, she never cared for the man’s opinion on anything, she did care if a punishment was going to be served.

Her mother offered her a regretful half-smile; it never reached her eyes. Once again, her mother turned from her, but this time Ana made no effort to stop her. Instead, the sound of her mother’s heels echoing down the halls brought her solace. She was alone again, but now she wanted to be. The idea of seeing her terrified brother would only anger her, reminding her of the damage her father was ready to inflict. And the mere thought of even seeing her father again made the small amount of food in her stomach feel like a brick.

The night was over. Christmas Eve was horrible, and Ana could only assume the following day would be filled with more awkward silences and condescending glares. She rolled off her bed and stretched, enjoying the way the moon let a tiny bit of light shine into her room. It felt so far away and yet if she tried hard enough, she imagined she could snatch it out of the sky like a golden snitch.

Ana frowned, turning away from the cold window pane and dropped to her bed with a thud. There was no point in wallowing, so Ana took a swig of her Dreamless Sleep Potion and awaited a night of nothingness.

However, her dreamless sleep was interrupted. In the early hours of Christmas Day, Ana assumed Draco had woken her up to begin celebrating early, even if it was out of his current character. She would’ve accepted the invitation with open arms. Instead, she awoke to her father turning on her blinding lights, the intensity was far more aggressive than the light the moon provided only a few hours ago.

“Get up. We’re leaving.”

Ana’s eyes had hardly adjusted to the light, her head dipped below her sheets to shield herself from the growing pain it brought to her temples. Her father was fully dressed as if he was going to the Ministry like he did every day for work. 

“Leaving for what? It’s Christmas,” Ana questioned as she hopped out of her bed, shuddering at the cool morning air that seeped through her closed windows.

“You’re going back to school,” he grumbled as he reached for her trunk, beginning to pull on the leather handle, dragging her belongings away from her and down the empty hallway.


	28. Training Wheels

The preposterous explanation given to her by her father woke Ana fully out of her sleep. In a frenzy of sweaters and thick long skirts, Ana got dressed within seconds time, not caring about anything other than getting a better answer out of her father. Her bed was left in a crumpled mess, the duvet half laying on the floor from when she jumped out of its warmth. She wished to crawl back in, but she feared whatever reaction she’d receive from her father if she left him waiting. Her bare feet skidded on the cold floor, slipping as she rushed to put on her socks and heeled leather boots. They were horribly inappropriate for the amount of the snow that plagued Wiltshire in the middle of the night; but it was all she had.

When she caught up to her father, he had his cane sturdy in his hand, gripping it tighter as she rounded the corner towards him. His face was stern and serious, not in a gaming mood. Not in a mood for questions. In his other gloved hand was her trunk, the gold hardware on the luggage was dinged from him haphazardly flinging it about, but Ana wasn’t going to mention it.

With a huff, her father pushed open the large doors of the manor, the piercing cold wind hit her in the face like she had been slapped. It became harder to breathe the longer she was outside; but all she could do was hold her sleeve up to her mouth to try and shield herself from the raging storm. Ana’s heart felt heavy at the thought of leaving Draco behind, especially after what happened the night before. But as she began her travel with her father in utter silence across the frozen countryside, she found that even if she did want to say goodbye to her little brother, she ultimately had no time to do so.

After apparating partially to Diagon Alley, her solitary trip on the Hogwarts Express, and her tedious walk from the Hogsmeade Station across the long wooden bridge that connected the two pieces of land, Ana was exhausted. The hood on her thin yet lux coat kept flying back from walking against the wind, and her boots left her feet cold and wet.

When Ana arrived to the castle, her fingers were nearly burnt blue as the frigid air relentlessly attacked her. It was infinitely colder, traversing all the way to Scotland in the early hours of Christmas Day by herself. She never found a good time to ask her father why she was being sent back to the school in the middle of her break; no time was a good time when it came to him. Ana was left with more questions than anything, but one question she didn’t want answered was how Draco would look when he realized she was missing. The thought alone was enough to prick the inner corner of her eyes with tears, but they never fell as she sniffled her running nose.

However, when she got to the gates of the school, she was met with a surprising face.

“Professor Snape?”

The potions master was waiting for her, looking like a gargoyle all stiff in the snow as it settled on his cloaked shoulders and swoopy hair. His nose was still highly visible as the morning sun peaked above the forest trees, the glow silhouetted his nose over any other feature. She shuffled faster towards him, the snow piling around her ankles with every step.

As soon as the second year grew close to him, he twirled on his heels and began gliding back into the castle without a word. She followed close behind, shuddering loudly at the way the warmth from the school halls immediately brought her icy skin some relief. Her mediocre boots left a trail of snow behind her, marking her journey from the entrance down into the dungeons as she dragged her trunk behind her.

The professor ended up bringing her to his office where he started the fireplace in the dingy room with a wave of his wand. Ana took it upon herself to collapse in one of his chairs, leaning towards the glowing flames of the fire, wishing to jump inside it just to kill the ache in her bones even for a second.

“What am I doing here, Professor?”

Snape looked down at the trembling girl as she pushed the chair closer to the fireplace, further away from his desk. It was unlike her to speak so abruptly, but given the circumstances, he understood her rush. She frantically rubbed her hands together, trying to awaken the stiff joints that froze from the cold. With a grunt, he fell to his chair opposite her and flung down a letter to his desk, motioning for her to take it.

“You’re father sent me that late yesterday evening, Ms. Malfoy. Care to explain why?”

Ana’s eyes skimmed over the hastily written note, but it was a quick read. The only words on the paper were:

“Training begins tomorrow. –L. Malfoy”

“I don’t know what he means by training. Training for what?”

Her shoulders were starting to sink as the fire offered her a warm blanket amidst the dull dungeon room surrounded by yards of frozen lake. Even from his view, Ana relented in the fact that all life inside the water seemed to be nonexistent.

“I’ll have you know that your father is a calculated man,” Snape said in an even tone, his gaze on the discarded letter on his desk. “The name of Malfoy comes with a huge responsibility. However-“

His voice hushed for a moment, allowing Ana an opportunity to scavenge through her trunk for a pair of maroon mittens which she smiled at softly once they slipped over her warming hands. She held them out towards the fire, nearly touching the flames as she sighed at the brilliant heat.

“However, ‘Malfoy’ is not the only name that makes up who you are. You’re also part of the ‘Black’ family, which we know has made it’s name by being loyal to You-Know-Who.”

At the mention of the Dark Lord’s name, Ana abandoned her stay at the fireplace, and focused solely on the grim man in front of her. That wizard’s name was always hushed at the Manor, referred to in code or in implication. It was strange for the professor to be speaking of him so flippantly on Christmas morning.

Snape was surprised by her attentiveness, her body was squared off towards him, awaiting for any information the man was willing to offer. Her father was never one to indulge her curiosity, but as she sat in her teacher’s office, Ana was hoping he’d give her just a glimpse of the truth.

“Your aunt Bellatrix, your uncles Regulus and Sirius, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange, all of them make up a part of your history. Whether you like it or not.

“The moment you became a Malfoy, your loyalties were already decided for you. And with those loyalties come expectation. Didn’t you ever wonder why you were sorted into Slytherin? Why you have such an affinity for potion making, nonetheless dark potions? What is your wand made of?”

“Elm wood, dragon heartstring.”

"And do you know who else has the same make of wand as you?"

Ana took a moment to think of every wand she had ever seen in her lifetime, pulling out her own in an effort to jog her memory. It was a medium length with a dark stained wood that stemmed from its textured handle. At the base was a small clear orb that made it a tad heavy to hold, but it was hers. 

She remembered how excited she was to get her own wand once she was eleven years old. After receiving it, Ana marveled at the beautiful piece for hours. Of course Draco insisted he got one that very same day and he ended up pouting when their mother rejected his wishes. However, there wasn't another one that reminded her of it, so she looked up at Professor Snape and disappointedly shook her head no.

“It's the same as your fathers.”

Ana’s eyes widened at the fact, silently wishing she was remembering the specifics of her wand incorrectly. She hated the idea of the thing that chose her, also chose her father; being like her father was not a compliment.

“Your skill points you towards the Dark Arts, Ms. Malfoy. And if that is to be the case, then you need to be prepared for whatever may come your way.”

“Okay, then I’ll just pay more attention in Defense Ag-“

“No!” He shouted from his seat, nearly scaring the poor girl even though she’d never let him know. “Not preparing you in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Just the Dark Arts. And from your father and my correspondence he thinks you will be inclined to learning a particular skill: one that was mastered by Salazar Slytherin himself.”

Ana’s stomach curled into a knot at Snape insisting he teach her actual dark magic. She began imagining other dark wizards, like her aunt. If learning the dark arts was going to lead her to becoming like her aunt, Ana figured it'd be best to refuse and storm out of the office. She thought the Manor was bad on its own, but Ana was suddenly grateful that it was only her parents and Draco within its walls and not the rest of her family. If they all did things similar to what her aunt and uncles did to the Longbottoms, then she wanted nothing to do with them. But until then, Ana had to play smart.

“What will you be training me in?” Ana answered firmly, finding her strength as she was no longer shivering from either fear or cold.

“Something only one other person in this castle knows; Legilimency.”

Ana vaguely remembered reading about it in the book she received from Snape last year, the book all her friends mocked her about. She never thought of the darker elements as anything more than theory; things that obviously existed, but spells that she wouldn’t actually need to know. But she was proven wrong the moment her father exiled her from the Manor that morning. Unfortunately, she couldn’t recall the uses of the practice, so she simply nodded her head in acceptance.

“Very well, Ms. Malfoy,” he grumbled as he neared the office door, swinging it open slowly. “If you hurry, you could still make it to breakfast. I’ll sort out your trunk.”

Gratefully, she nodded once and rose from her seat, finding her clothes had dried like a plastered mold, turned hard from the blazing fire that warmed her. Still she could tell that her socks were soaked all the way through. Ana moved quietly, passed the professor as she made her way throughout the potions classroom; the promise of strawberries and pastries made her clumsy legs quicken.

“And Malfoy,” Snape called to her from across the classroom, holding up something small in his grasp. “Your Dreamless Sleep Potion-“

He stopped speaking, expecting the tiny vial in his hands by tilting the glass and watching as the liquid swished within the bottle.

“It was brewed perfectly.”

And with that, he retreated back into his office and slammed the door. Her feet once again pulled her in the direction of the Great Hall, her stomach was grumbling loudly at the many hours she spent getting to Hogwarts without a bite of food. Her feet ached but as she reached the Slytherin table, she grabbed a handful of food before it could disappear from her sight. Without care of who could see, Ana swiped her favorite strawberries, multiple muffins and poured herself a large glass of pumpkin juice.

The manner in which she stuffed her face rivaled the intensity in which Alex typically ate, the comparison made Ana chuckle despite the banana muffin that she was scarfing down. At this point, the hall was practically empty, Filch remained at the head of the table and a few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs resided in the large room. No familiar faces surrounded her, so she didn’t care much about how ridiculous and disheveled she looked as her cheeks filled with food.

“Are you okay?”

Ana choked on her food as an inquisitive presence shocked her from her notorious feasting, only to turn and see Ron Weasley with his arms filled to the brim with food. He was wearing a large knitted sweater, and she smiled at the thought of his mother working on all her presents for her children, rejoicing in the fact that she received one as well.

“I’m fine, Ron,” Ana answered as she wiped her chin clean of any crumbs with her wrinkled sleeve. “Why do you ask?”

She was a bit stunned that the young boy even approached her, given the lengthy chat Snape just delivered about her family tree, and yet he stood there, his nose matching the color of his copper locks. His face lit up at her kind tone, as he took a seat beside her.

“Well, I noticed that Mal- Draco, you’re here without Draco. So I figured something was wrong. Also you look a mess. Not a bad mess! Just your hair is a-“

“No, I’m okay, Ron. But thank you for asking.”

To be entirely honest, she was surprised that the younger Weasley felt comfortable enough to come up to talk to her. Not that she would’ve been mean to the boy, but since she knew Draco wasn’t the kindest to other students, she assumed he’d stay far away from her. He sniffled a bit, as she smiled at him, finding it funny how a little bit of his red hair stuck straight up. Just like the rest of the family, there was something undeniably charming about the Weasleys. He wasn’t as loud or rambunctious as his brothers, but the boy was welcoming.

“Mister Weasley.”

Professor Snape’s drawling voice hissed at the young boy, making him drop a macaron onto the floor which he watched roll under a table. Ana was irritated at the man for interrupting her late breakfast considering he just saw her. And yet, there he was, looking down on the youngest Weasley boy.

“I have to speak with Ms. Malfoy and you have a hoard of degenerates to return to I assume,” Ana rolled her eyes at the man subtly enough for Snape to not notice, but Ron snickered at the action. “Leave, now.”

At the professor practically growling at the eleven year old, Ron shuffled away from the two quickly, looking back every few steps as he exited the Great Hall. Once they were alone, he turned back to her with a smirk on his crooked face.

“When you are done, I suggest you get ready for the day. Training begins immediately.” 

The food that was in front of her seemed less appealing after knowing she’d be spending her Christmas Day with the potion’s master instead of her family. As she picked at her strawberries, Ana’s mind wondered to the unbearable idea of Draco waking up to find that she was no longer at the Manor. She didn’t even know if her mother was aware of her father’s plan. That morning felt like days ago instead of a few hours, but after the devastatingly long journey from the manor to the castle and the meeting with Snape she just wished the day was over. And it wasn’t even noon.

Ana’s stomach growled angrily at her, forcing her to shovel as much food into her mouth as she could. If she ate until her stomach’s capacity and got ill hopefully she could get out of Snape’s lesson early, she reckoned. The soles of her feet were aching, praying for her to just go to her dorm and take a nap but she knew she couldn’t. If her father was finally taking interest in her, Ana wanted to see this through; perhaps learning about Legilimency would be fascinating.

If it was a well-known practice done by Slytherins, it couldn’t hurt for her to give it a go.

Ana’s pulse quickened, remembering that her gift for Draco was sitting in her room hidden beneath her bed. It was a little basket of sweets from Hogsmeade that she begged Lucian to pick up for her; it wasn’t anything to cry about, but it was something to write home about. But she didn’t have time for that, right now she had to go to her common room, shower, and get ready to meet with her professor.


	29. "You Stopped Me."

“Focus, Bibiana. Do you think the Dark Lord became the world’s greatest Legilimens by not taking this seriously?”

Ana had been practicing for hours at this point, no matter how hard she focused on tearing down Snape’s shield, she could not see into his memories. The young girl had no idea why her father wanted her to learn how to perform Legilimency after Snape explained what it was. But it must be important if he decided to kick her out of the house on Christmas morning, she figured.

The shower she took before showing up to the vacant DADA classroom felt absolutely pointless as she wiped the sweat of her brow. Earlier she was freezing from the frozen tundra but now she was burning up after her multiple failed attempts at breaking into her teacher’s head.

“I’ve been focusing, Professor! What else do you think I’ve been doing this whole time?” Ana snapped back at the man who was squinting at her with annoying judgment. Somehow he was perfectly calm and not an overwhelmed mess like she was. He waltzed around the dark room like he was unaffected by how mentally draining the training was. The skillful man was more powerful than she had given him credit for, she recognized as sat down at a desk that was pushed to the side of the room.

The time of day was completely lost on her, but at the sound of the girl’s growling stomach Ana could tell that she definitely missed lunch. All she could think about was a sandwich at the moment, not trying to pry into the mind of her morose professor.

“You are not trying hard enough. Maybe your father was wrong. Maybe he was in denial about your abilities. Surely there was no way an unpracticed twelve year old would be able to invade the mind of an already seasoned Legilimens. You’re just as hopeless as he was; your father was unsuccessful in learning the skill as well. Must run in the family.”

Ana knew what he was doing, trying to anger her into feeling compelled to continue training; and she hated the fact that it was working. If there was a way to impress her father, she was going to do it. Not to win his favor, but to at least get him off her back. She also enjoyed the idea of being able to accomplish something her detestable father couldn’t ever do himself.

“Please just explain how to do it again, being thrown into it like this is doing nothing to actually teach me,” Ana pleaded with the man as she started massaging her sore calf muscles. She wasn’t going to stand up until she absolutely had to.

“You have to want it. There is no way to master this skill if you half your efforts. Have no other want, no other desire than to break my spell, Ms. Malfoy. This is all about intention. Your wand alone will know if your focus is not where it should be.”

With a feeble huff, Ana stood from her seat, trying her hardest to pay attention to nothing but the man in front of her, no matter how displeasing he was. From everything Ana had learned about wands, it was that they have a mind of their own. The sticks of varying woods and cores were practically sentient, owning a personality and loyalty all on their own. Ana’s wand resembled her fathers, the one that was the handle of his walking stick brandished with the heavy snake at its end. The one that he wanted to use to harm Draco just the day before. At the reminder of her poor brother sitting home alone, Ana’s face grew stern and still as she grounded herself to the moment in front of her.

“Now, direct you attention to the spell and what you want. If you do not want this desperately, it will refuse to work.”

Ana nodded once as she pointed her wand strongly at the man who had been yelling at her for the whole of Christmas Day. She thought she had been focusing before, but as Ana emptied her mind with thoughts of Draco’s loneliness, her father, and her furious stomach, she recognized that she had been distracted the whole time. Now, her mind had no other intention other to perform this incantation.

“Legilimency!”

A little boy with inky black hair and spotty skin replaced the vision of Professor Snape who was once standing only a few feet from the young girl. She was still in the DADA classroom but now it was filled to capacity with children from both Slytherin and Gryffindor house; although, Ana didn’t recognize a single face. They looked to be around her age, and yet not a single kid was one that she had talked to. Alex, Calista, and Aeron were no one to be seen and instead of Professor Quirrell, an older woman with leathery skin was lecturing with great animation.

She was transfixed on the old witch when a crumpled up bit of parchment zoomed past her head, nearly hitting her between the eyes. However, as Ana turned, she saw the ball bounce off the recluse boy, watching him coil into himself in his seat.

A chorus of cackling boys brought her attention to the back of the classroom where four Gryffindors were guffawing at the singular Slytherin boy. Seeing them hurt the boy made her instantly feel protective, standing between them as if she could stop anything. But as the Professor passed through her, Ana realized that she wasn’t truly there. 

And yet, she was seeing this all play out in front of her, as if she was a part of it. It felt different from a dream what how she remembered them. Everything before her didn't feel like an illusion. It felt powerful and innate to herself; as if she was there when this happened. It wasn't fake. It was a memory.

That’s when it hit Ana. This was of a different time. The students weren’t her friends. The teacher wasn’t her professor.

This wasn’t her memory; it was Snape’s.

~

“Fred, George! Fred, George! Get up ya lazy sods!”

The twins jumped from where they were sprawled on the Gryffindor sofas, their heads where their feet should’ve been had they been sitting normally. Instead their feet were sticking straight up at the common room ceiling, as they struggled to not roll over their shoulders and onto the floor. George shuffled up as his older brother toppled over and crashed onto the floor, his boney shoulder colliding harshly with the wooden floor.

From his now dizzy vision from the ground, Fred found himself being bombarded by his little brother, rubbing at the crown of his head that was sure to grow a bump.

“What are you on about, Ronniekins?” Fred joked as he sat on the floor, eyes squinting from the youngest Weasley boy whose face was red from his sprint, his arms dropped the various treats on the communal table. “It’s Christmas Day, not scare-the-pants-off-your-brothers day, you willy.”

Ron rolled his eyes in annoyance still huffing, “Ana’s here.”

Fred jumped surprisingly fast from his spot on the ground, his brows pointed at the surprising information. George seemed equally as interested as he too, grew closer to Ron in search for more details.

“Why in the world would she be here? She left for the manor a week ago with Draco,” Fred explained, his voice strained in worry as to why she was back.

“She didn’t really tell me! I just saw her stuffing her face in the Great Hall when I went back down there.”

Fred and George shared perplexed expressions, tiny wrinkles etched onto their foreheads as they tried to imagine a reason for her being back at school, halfway into break. And on Christmas Day nonetheless. 

“She’s been with Snape,” Percy interjected, as he hobbled down the winding stone staircase, joining the rest of the Weasley boys. The other three were about to question how he knew where Ana was until he slapped a large folded piece of warn parchment onto the table next to the pile of baked goods. “What did I tell you two? Get rid of this thing!”

“What is th-“

“Nothing!”

The twins cut off Ron with a shout as they grabbed for the dingy looking spreadsheet in front of them. As George shoved the mysterious paper into his back pocket, the youngest of them all smacked his hands against his hips in frustration.

“Look. Since Charlie graduated Mum told me it was my responsibility to keep you tossers in line! Not only that, but I am a prefect! So you all better clean up your act.”

Percy crossed his arms in front of him with self-assurance; he smiled confidently knowing he was the one in control among the four of them given he was the oldest. Fred and George were always running amuck, but he now had the opportunity and resources to try to keep them in check.

“Oh don’t go acting all high and mighty, mate,” George mocked his older brother, chuckling alongside Fred and a very confused Ron.

“Don’t pretend like we don’t see you sneaking out of your dorm every now and again to hang out with a certain Ravenclaw,” Fred snickered back at his bossy brother.

“We patrol the halls together! We’re both prefects!”

“Save me all that, Perce. How do you patrol the halls while hiding in broom closets?” Fred accused with a smirk.

Percy’s pale face turned somehow even paler, looking ghostly at Fred’s insinuation. Ron stared up at them, highly confused but equally as entertained at the showdown between all of them.

“You know what? I don’t care at this point, if you want to get detentions for the rest of your Hogwarts career, that’s fine by me. But you won’t always have that snake to bail you out again,” he seethed, staring directly at the twins with a chilling glare. The four of them were huddled together all in their matching sweaters, until the oldest broke away from the pack. Without another word, Percy turned sharply on his heels and marched back up the dreary staircase.

“Where were we?” The twins bumbled in unison.

~

As quickly as Ana entered the unfamiliar scene of a younger Snape, she was just as rapidly ripped out of it, leaving her wobbly as she now stood in the quiet DADA classroom of her time. Her heart was pounding with how exhilarating it felt to have succeeded a tiny degree of Legilimency. Ana’s mouth lifted into a small smile, finally feeling calmer having done it once. If she was able to breech his mind once, she could do it again. She was certain.

However, the image of Snape was no longer a small boy with knobby knuckles and a hunchback. Snape’s childish annoyance had developed into an unwavering grimace that left his face cold and dull. If she hadn’t been just inside his head, she would’ve never believed they were the same person. Time certainly wasn’t forgiving on the man, and Ana wondered what happened between that time he was a kid until now. He slowly approached her, his wand gripped tightly in his now calloused hands.

Snape stopped once he was at arm’s length from her, “So you were finally able to break through, Ms. Malfoy. I must be honest, I had my doubts about this whole thing. Perhaps, you aren’t totally incapable of learning this.”

Ana nodded, finding her balance and standing tall for the first time since she arrived to the castle this morning. The bit of encouragement, though laced with minor insults, still made her feel proud. It was a different feeling than when she had brewed the Dreamless Sleeping Potion on her own or got picked for the Quidditch team. This was something that her family would be proud of, and that only made the young girl wish to do better.

“I wanna go again," Ana exclaimed in excitement.

“No.”

Professor Snape backed away from the girl, and with a flick of his wand, the desks that were pulled to the side flung themselves back to their original position, nearly knocking her down in the process. She glanced around them, the condition of the room made it seem as if no one had been there at all.

“What do you mean no? My father wanted me to learn this!”

“Your father is blind to the downsides of learning this practice. Yes, he is calculated and cunning, but he is not thinking of the whole picture.”

The uncharacteristic critique of her father confused her even if she agreed with the professor’s assessment; if it was so dangerous to be learning Legilimency, then why would Snape even agree to it in the first place. It made no sense to her, but she waited for her professor to explain himself. A particularly loud grumble in her stomach startled her, making the older man roll his eyes and waltz around her. His billowy robes flew behind him, leaving her alone in the classroom to ponder over his strange behavior. At the sight of her wand in her hand, the one that could easily be swapped with her fathers, she was reminded of why she was there in the first place. She didn’t like him, but he actually believed in her for once, and that was enough for her.

Professor Snape had hardly made it halfway down the now dim corridor until Ana ran around him, effectively halting his stride.

“I need to learn this, Professor. You said it yourself that it would be good for me to learn, regardless of what my father says.”

“Your father is dense for wanting you to learn Legilimency without knowing how to protect yourself against the very same spell. For merlin’s sake, he never even thought to suggest teaching you Occlumency. That man knows nothing of the seriousness that comes with meddling with people’s memories. If someone were to know you could invade the minds of others, imagine how desperately they might want to invade your own mind, Ms. Malfoy.

“What you are learning, what you have succeeded in, even briefly, is terrifying. This is not Hogwarts curriculum and to be perfectly honest, it’s even frowned upon by the Ministry to learn as a fully grown adult. Every known power would have my head if anyone were to know that I was instructing a second year on how to do Legilimency.”

Ana relaxed her shoulders, understanding the gravity of the lessons she was receiving. She never figured Snape would be worried about anyone, it was usually he who was worrying everyone else with his dreary tones and choice words towards students. Remembering she was learning dark magic was enough to ground her back to reality.

“What’s Occlumency?” Ana mumbled. Sure, the professor made some good points within his speech, but her mind was only focused on that tiny speck of information he provided about protection.

“Occlumency is the practice of deterring another from using Legilimency on you. It safe guards your mind. That’s what I’ve been doing on my end the whole day until you broke through.”

“So if I were to learn how to do this, could you keep teaching me Legilimency?”

Ana felt like she was slapped in the face as the man started mockingly laughing at her suggestion, the disrespect echoed throughout the empty hallway, only amplifying it even more. It made the bile in her stomach rise to her throat, but she held it down as she stared back at him. She might’ve been absolutely exhausted but she was not willing to let this go without putting up some sort of a fight.

Snape peered down at the stubborn girl, finding it frustrating how such a small person could irritate him so greatly. She was the spitting image of her father, down to the length of their blinding white hair and the paleness of their stormy blue eyes. It reminded him of another student, who so perfectly resembled their parents, almost to a sickening degree. This student was brought to the forefront of his mind since Ana stepped into his memories from his days as a student, making him relive parts of his history he hated the most.

But instead of staring into the carbon copy of his childhood bully, he was staring at the daughter of one of his long term allies. Lucius was sometimes an unfavorable confidant, but he was there for the potions master before the first wizarding war begun. So with a quick glance around the hallway for any unfavorable company, Professor Snape ushered the girl back into the classroom and pulled a chair out for her to sit down. She did so gladly, being able to flex her tired feet as they dangled off the chair.

“Occlumency is by far the more complicated skillset that I will introduce you to today, Ms. Malfoy,” Snape grumbled with his back turned towards the girl. “However, if you are too stubborn to leave when I first ask of you, having to undergo mental manipulation by a well-practiced Legilimens might do the trick.”

The way Snape phrased what was about to happen made Ana rock a bit on her chair in nervousness which she disguised as getting more comfortable. Maybe it was a mistake to insist he showed her Occlumency, but once she was intrigued, Ana knew she had to experience the mysterious power at least once.

“Try your best to clear your mind; make sure there are no memories for me to see,” he instructed before slowly facing the girl, now with his wand withdrawn. He hardly gave her anytime to prepare as he shouted, “Legilimency!”

Ana stared back at him with her eyes bulging in surprise and a bit in fear since he just yelled a spell while standing only a few feet from her in a now dark classroom. To the best of her ability, Ana relinquished every memory and thought she could, picturing what she saw as she slept: pure, overwhelming nothingness.

She was surprised when Snape repeated the spell with even more ferocity this time, his forehead vein was popping more than it did when he was yelling at Gryffindors. It made her chuckle briefly, before remembering she was supposed to clear her mind. Her stomach grumbled again, but she tried her best to ignore it as Snape started to lower his wand.

The silence that filled the air between them was louder than any Quidditch Match or troll ever was and it made Ana’s spine chill. She wished the temperamental man would say anything, instead he stared at her with a curious expression.

“Nothing,” he muttered mostly to himself as he took a seat a few tables away from the girl and dropping his wand down with a clank. Ana’s patience was beginning to wear thin the darker the room got and she began wondering if she was going to miss dinner too.

“Did something go wrong? Did I do it wrong?” Ana hoped to prompt a conversation out of the man who looked as dreadful as ever. He ran his hands through his greasy hair exasperatedly, like he was at his absolute wits end.

“Your mind was entirely blank,” he admitted with a strained voice. “It’s been years since someone has been able to evade my spell. But today, it didn’t work. I couldn't do it. You stopped me.”


	30. A Vicious Cycle

Snape’s defeated admission replayed through Ana’s mind as she nearly ran down the staircase from the third floor all the way down to the Great Hall. She had no idea what time it was, but her stomach growled violently as she hurried down the dark corridors. She never anticipated her lessons going for so long, or for her Professor to storm out of the room without another word. His sullen expression was amplified the moment he failed to enter Ana’s head, making her wonder if she had done something wrong. She hardly did anything, and yet he couldn’t invade her mind no matter how desperately he wanted to.

Once Ana reached the Great Hall, she let out a frustrated groan at the completely empty room. She could still smell the food that once covered the long tables; however, dinner had come and gone. She missed two meals that day which only made her even more annoyed at the potion's master and his incessant screaming. The only bit of life within eyesight was the crackle of the torches that lined the large brick walls and herself, sitting down at the Slytherin table. All at once the events of the day caught up to her; she was done. Her body was tired from her interrupted sleep and the horrible journey from the Manor to the school. She was mentally exhausted from the training and Snape’s yelling. And now she would have to go to sleep with an aching stomach. The only saving grace would be her Dreamless Sleep Potion, but even she didn’t know if it would ease her pains.

No one was around, and the tears that threatened to fall as soon as she woke up that morning were ready to fall down her face. She could’ve easily allowed herself the release of a good cry. But she wouldn’t. Even in total solitude, her pride was greater than her sorrow. So she sniffled quietly to herself as she made her way to the dungeons. It was going to be a long night.

Her flimsy boots felt heavy somehow, as she trudged along the dim basement hall to the Slytherin common room. However, from down the hall, Ana could see that there was something obstructing the entrance of the hidden door. After her day, she didn’t want to take any chances; her wand was drawn just in case she needed to defend herself. She continued closer to the obscure object, only to let down her wand with a shuddering sigh.

Ana dropped down to her knees as she was presented with another shoe box, similar to the one she had been presented with just a week ago as she worked on her potion. On top of the box was a folded bit of parchment, which Ana ripped off impatiently.

“Little Ronniekins let us know that you are now back at the castle. Must say, it’s a little peculiar that you’re here and not at the Manor. Couldn’t stand the life of luxury it seems. Either way, we noticed that you didn’t make it to lunch or dinner, so we took it upon ourselves to put together a little something for you. Hopefully we did a good job!

Also Merry Christmas

-Gred & Forge”

Ana flung the lid off the shoe box with the promise of food, a large smile spread over her tired face at the selection they chose for her. It was filled to the brim with sandwiches, strawberries, apples and pumpkin pasties. The harsh stone floor beneath her knees made her shakily stand up, wrapping up her gift so she wouldn’t spill a piece of it. With a grateful sigh, Ana chuckled quietly to herself as she muttered the password to the common room. Her remaining plans for the night was to sit in front of the fireplace with her feet up as she devoured her dinner, complimentary of the twins and Ron’s mention of her arrival. Once the doors opened themselves to her, she ran inside to fulfill her plan.

From down the hall, the two boys in question smiled as the younger girl took her food with such happiness. They didn’t want her to notice them, they just wanted her to eat after what they assumed was a stressful day. George was chuffed at their plan running smoothly, but Fred’s face fell when he saw how tired she was. He couldn’t help but wonder what in the world could’ve cause her to look so positively fragmented on Christmas night.

Their walk back to the common room was quick as they didn’t wish to be caught by Filch, and as soon as they made it to their dorms, both boys crashed onto their respective beds. Lee was snoring rather loudly which wasn’t a surprise to either of the red heads, but George was able to fall asleep quickly no matter how thunderous the snoring was. Fred on the other hand, laid wide awake as he thought of Ana. He hoped she was feeling a bit better after she ate, but there was a part of him that wished he could’ve done more.

After going over his worries repeatedly, sleep eventually overtook the older twin, his face twisted in a frown as he knocked out.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the castle beneath the Black Lake, laid the girl that wouldn't escape his mind. Her face was lifted in a soft smile as she laid warm in her bed with a full stomach and fuzzy feelings.

Ana wished she never complained about training that very first day. That was only the beginning of it. The very next morning she awoke to her medicine accompanied by a note from the potions master, stating that he expected her attendance in the DADA classroom as soon as she had finished breakfast.

Every day was the same. She would go to breakfast, stare at the hoard of Weasleys and the boy who lived who kept to themselves across the Great Hall among a few other students. Fred and George did the most to annoy Percy who was usually reading The Daily Prophet trying his hardest to ignore the two. Their bright smiles were always present, no matter how early it was and it made her feel better even if her face was twisted in a scowl from so much training. She didn’t know how those two boys became a source of her happiness, but every time their laughter traveled the room, her heart soared for the duration of it.

Ron was stuffing his face as per usual. The assortment of food before him was astounding: ranging from sausages, cereal, biscuits, eggs, and bread. She wondered how the boy could stomach so much yet stay so small. Meanwhile, the bushy headed boy beside him merely nibbled on his meal, laughing at whatever joke the twins were making at Percy’s expense. Ana knew a bit about him; how he was made an orphan at the hands of the Dark Lord and from overhearing Draco rant about him, he lived with his aunt and uncle. But that was practically it. Still a part of her hurt for the boy; sure her family wasn’t incredible, but it was hers.

Ana wished to be sitting with them, enjoying her fruit and pumpkin juice while she rolled her eyes at the identical boys for their dumb yet charming jokes. But she wasn’t the only Slytherin left behind during the holiday break. A few of the older students stayed behind along with Theo Nott, a first year that she had seen hanging around her brother a bit. She couldn’t put herself in a position to get in trouble if she were to leave her spot at her table, so she dejectedly watched and smiled from afar.

Sometimes the twins would catch her staring at them, given the fact that she didn’t hide it well. George would give little waves or throw a grape in her direction just to get a reaction out of her. But Fred watched her back when he wasn’t cracking a joke. He hated how small and lonely she looked, sitting all alone at the large table. Lucian, Calista, Alex and Aeron were all good to her, despite the last two screaming at the twins after George broke her wrist during the Quidditch match. Sure, they were snakes, but they were her everything.

Whenever Fred’s brown eyes caught her blue ones, he would simply offer her a smile or a little wave when no one was looking. He didn’t want to make a scene, given he was a Gryffindor and she was a Slytherin, but it never failed to put a smile on Ana’s face. Fred enjoyed how her stern expression flipped to reluctantly bashful every time he did something small for her, and it made Fred only want to do them more.

But Ana didn’t get to stay in the Great Hall for long, she still met with Snape every single day. When she wasn’t sleeping or eating she was in the DADA classroom yelling the same incantation over and over at the dreary man until her voice gave out. It was a flurry of aggravated grunts and disappointed head rolls on repeat as Ana tried her very best to tap into the man’s head.

And she did. Multiple times.

Along the course of the week she had seen various glimpses of his childhood, usually revolving around the same group of boys from Gryffindor picking on him. She felt bad for him, until she remembered he took his anger out on first years as a professor. That was enough to keep her from fully trusting the man who allowed her to invade his head. Even then, she still felt like she wasn’t getting the full story.

That feeling only worsened when he refused to talk about Occlumency ever again. Ana tried every single day to get him to explain why he was so startled by her keeping him out of her head. She thought he’d marvel at her or at least say she did a good job. Instead he would yell at her, saying she wasn’t focusing on what was important; Legilimency was all he would talk about.

They wouldn’t discuss what she saw, they would only work until the point of exhaustion. He didn’t care how drained she was from all the mental gymnastics she had to do to perform the spell; he just cared that she did it. Again. And again. And again.

Once the sun dropped below the horizon, Snape would finally let her out. She would leave the classroom with a pounding headache and stomach pains, given her missing a meal every day. It was tedious and laboring work, having to do that routine multiple days in a row. But she knew that learning it, and possibly mastering it was her goal, no matter how much it beat her up.

Even though her temples were sending electric shots through her head and she could hardly stand, Ana practically ran down the winding and ever changing staircases to the dungeons. Her face broke out in an elated smile as she approached the shoe box in the hallway of the Slytherin common rooms. Like clockwork, a stash of food was left for the young girl by her favorite twins. Sometimes it contained more than food, one time they put a plain rock in and on another occasion was a bit of The Prophet with drawings on it. Either way, she rejoiced in the offering and found it dreadfully sweet.

Before Ana decided to go to bed that night, she figured on making a few detours. Her dinner was fully settled in her stomach, a physical reminder of the twins’ care for her. She wanted to do something in return, but doing so would take help from a friends. Besides, she needed to send an owl to Draco regardless.

The owlery was quiet and unbearably cold, making her hands shake as she wrote out her letter to her baby brother, letting him know the location of his present in her room was just beneath her bed. It was a dumb present of sweets, but she wanted him to have it. Despite her shivering mitten covered hands, Ana wrote out one other letter to a friend, hoping they could scavenge together the items she listed in the letter before sending the two letters out.

As the remaining days of the holiday break were dwindling, Ana found her routine painfully mundane. Wake up, eat, get yelled at for twelve hours, eat, and go to bed. So on the last night of what should have been her break, Ana decided to go to the library once the handful of students and remaining faculty were already in bed. It had been a while since she went to the little room, finding its dark but large space comforting whenever she couldn’t stand staring into the Black Lake for another second.

It was a perfect little hideaway that only Neville knew about at this point, and in the corner, their tiny sample of Devil’s Snare was thriving wonderfully. Ana laughed at the fact that her best friends were either from Slytherin or Gryffindor; the house she was destined to love and the one she was conditioned to hate. It was a compromising position, but she would never give them up.

Her back felt stiff as her achy joints settled on the stone floor; Ana laid in front of the mirror, despite noticing for the first time just how tired she looked. The room smelled like an unopened book, a bit dusty but warm and comforting no matter how dark it was. The tiny glow from the glass panes that lined the far end wall was enough to keep her from feeling totally trapped.

After a few minutes of quiet meditation, Ana rose to sit in front of the mirror, clutching her knees to her chest. Her blue eyes looked lighter in comparison to the dark circles that plagued her pale face. The bluish tones made her look sick, despite her taking her medicine religiously every morning. Perhaps she needed a stronger strain of it to combat whatever was going on with her. Or maybe it was just too much training for a twelve year old girl to endure. Whatever, it was, Ana wanted to squash it so she no longer started to resemble Filch on a good day.

Besides her reflection was the image of Neville’s parents again. She was unsure as to why they kept showing up. Ana didn’t know the purpose of the mirror at all, but the happy couple in front of her was always a welcoming sight. Since she had no one to talk to, Ana started speaking quietly to the pair in front of her as if she was talking to a friend. She went over her frustrations about training with Snape and how tiring it all was, but her face lit up as she talked about the twins, Neville, and her Slytherin family. It felt good to say all that she wanted, even if she got no response.

By the middle of her rant, Neville’s parents were sitting along with her, nodding and smiling at the happy stories while offering looks of comfort whenever she recalled anything that troubled her. The man played with his wire-rimmed glasses in his hands, flinging them from side to side as the woman leaned in closely, her eyes showing nothing but empathy and understanding.

She could have stayed like that for hours, ignoring how painful it was to keep her eyes open as long as she could see the image of her friend’s parents in front of her. Although it did confuse her a bit. Aeron mentioned that they had been tortured by her aunt, and yet they were acting perfectly fine in the mirror. For a second, Ana considered the mirror was enchanted with their memory, showcasing them as they were instead of how they were in the moment.

Although, she didn’t have much time to ponder the nature of the mirror once the door opened to reveal Harry Potter.

“Oh! Uh, sorry,” he mumbled with wide glass covered eyes, “I didn’t think anyone else would be here.”

“It’s okay, I was planning on leaving soon anyways.”

Harry nodded awkwardly, cuddling some sort of blanket close to him as he stood at an uncomfortably long distance from her. He refused to come any closer, trying to assess the situation in front of him. She could tell he was nervous.

“Do you know what this mirror does, Harry?”

At the sound of his name, his emerald eyes glowed with surprise, finding it strange to hear a Malfoy refer to him by his first name instead of his last like Draco did. With uncertainty, Harry approached her, taking a seat on the stone floor off to the side, so she could still look into the mirror.

“I don’t know what it does. The only other person who knows about it is Ron.”

“And Neville,” Ana corrected with a smile.

She scooted over, allowing a bit of space on the floor for Harry to fill its slot. He did so albeit a bit cautiously. But once he looked into the mirror, his expression changed from scared and uncomfortable to relaxed. His shoulders dropped as he smiled into the mirror, elated at whatever he saw.

Ana took her eyes off the boy and back to the reflection, only to see that Neville’s parents were gone. Instead of seeing them on the floor in front of her, all she saw was herself and Harry within the bewitched glass.

“What do you see?” Harry asked her curiously as he messed with the mop of hair on top of his head.

She considered telling him about seeing Neville’s parents; however that sounded funny to her. It would be very strange for the niece of Bellatrix Lestrange recounting how she saw the Gryffindor boy’s parents in the mirror. Ana didn’t distrust Harry, she was just cautious of over sharing.

“I see us."

Harry nodded in understanding before turning back to the mirror with a gentle sigh. His gaze never wavered from the glass, making Ana feel as if she were encroaching on his privacy. She smiled at his reflection before rising to give the boy his space. It was dark and late anyways, and Ana needed to be in her bed by morning to take her medicine. She moved as quickly and quietly as she could, trying her hardest to not break his concentration.

As her hand met the cold handle of the large door, Harry called out to her, making her pause for a moment.

“I remember you, from that day in Diagon Alley. I heard what your dad said to you,” he revealed with a small smile. “Just wanted to say that it wasn’t fair, the way he treated you.”

Ana had tried her hardest to erase that memory, she hated how her father was able to make her feel so helpless and how comfortable he felt yelling at her in a relatively public space. He didn’t care if he humiliated her in front of wavering eyes, if her father was angry, he made it known.

And apparently the boy who lived was now aware of it.

“Thank you, Harry.”

He nodded slightly at her before turning back to the mirror and growing comfortable in the spot she just vacated. She wasn’t going to ask why he too was in this room in the middle of the night, but Ana assumed it was for a reason that was similar to her own. He needed a place to feel comfort, as did she. Without another word, Ana took one last glance at the small boy and turned to leave him to whatever he was staring at so intensely.


	31. An [Un]Happy Return

Holiday break was over; Ana stared out of the large stone archways awaiting the arrival of her friends and her brother. It felt like forever ago since she saw them with all the practicing she had been doing with Professor Snape regardless of the fact that it had only been a week. Thankfully with the return of the school year, their lessons had been reduced to a day a week, making the young girl’s tension begin to dissipate.

She didn’t necessarily enjoy the teachings, finding Snape a rather unpleasant man when she couldn’t catch on to the skill of Legilimancy right away. He was quick to raise his voice at her regardless of how hard she was trying; and she was trying her absolute hardest every single time she chanted the spell at the man. At least, she didn’t have to learn Occlumency; although Ana wished Professor Snape wasn’t so jittery about the fact that she could seemingly do it without any effort at all. In her eyes, it was just one less thing to worry about.

The snow was still falling heavily over Scotland, leveling the ground in a thick blanket of white fluff. It made the young girl shiver, but the sounds of muttering and excited yelling in the distance made her smile. Everyone was coming back from the train, meaning she got to see her loved ones again.

Within five minutes Ana, Alex and Calista were bouncing up and down in circles around the hallway, confusing many of the older students who scoffed at the antics of the lower years. None of them could care less. The young blonde welcomed the girls with open arms, as Aeron and Lucian were not far behind. With rosy cheeks and runny noses, the five of them started chattering about their holidays, a conversation which Ana kept quiet about.

Given the secrecy and severity of her lessons with Snape, Ana wasn’t sure how much she could share, especially if her father was in on it all.

“Wait, you never explained why you had to come back to school!” Aeron smirked as he stuffed a chocolate frog in his mouth, making a mess of his splotchy red face.

All eyes were on the shivering young girl, greedily anticipating her response with curious eyes and labored breaths. She didn’t want to keep secrets from them, these were the people who cared for her and comforted her whenever she needed it. However, Ana wasn’t aware of any consequences that could arise if she told them the truth.

“I had a project to finish up for Professor Snape,” Ana answered confidently, making sure no mannerisms gave away her guilty conscious, “It was a bit time sensitive, so I had to come back early. Should’ve planned ahead next time.”

The group nodded and murmured words of agreement, all besides Aeron.

“Either way, I’m sure you all are hungry as sin!”

“You know I’m always down to eat,” Alex said as she grabbed Calista’s and Ana’s hand and started running down the long hallways.

Before they joined the giggling girls, Aeron turned to Lucian, his hands now wiping off the dried chocolate that smeared onto his cheek.

“Ana lied.”

Lucian’s thick brows rose in surprise as he shook out the tiny icy snowflakes from his floppy amber hair. The two of them started to shuffle their way down the slippery and dirty corridor, relishing in the ways their hands and ears were growing less frigid from their travels.

“What? Why would she lie? Do you honestly think she’d want to leave her family in the middle of Christmas break? I know I wouldn’t,” Lucian retorted, the corners of his mouth dimpled as he smiled.

“That’s because you like your family, Bole.”

The older boy stopped in his tracks, taking a moment to let Aeron’s words sink in. He had never considered maybe Ana didn’t like her family. Lucian adored his family, every memory he had of his parents and sister he looked back on fondly. There wasn’t a day when he questioned how much he loved them.

“You think Ana doesn’t like her family? Ow!”

Aeron pinched the elbow of his friend, making the beater poke him in return, albeit playfully as they were nearing the Great Hall where the girls were situated.

“Don’t be dense, mate. Think about who we’re talking about. This isn’t just any other Slytherin, blah blah blah,” Aeron trailed off dramatic which made Lucian roll his eyes. “Her parents were supporters of You-Know-Who and her little brother just started paying attention to her again after ignoring her since the start of term. I bet she left for a reason other than potions.”

“I don’t know,” Lucian peered over to the three girls, watching as Ana laughed at Calista and Alex who were both fighting over a cinnamon roll. The young girl’s cheeks were round with joy and her eyes glowed at the company she now had. But it was the sound of her laugh that made his face break out in a similar smile. “I just hope she’s okay.”

Aeron watched the boy in front of him, slightly confused as to why he was staring so intensely at Ana, but he shrugged it off with a huff. “Just trust me. She’s hiding something.”

“Okay and even if she is, maybe she’s too scared to bring it up! Ever thought about that?” Lucian’s voice rose slightly, trying to convince himself that if Ana was lying, it had to be for a good reason. She wouldn’t just act so sneaky for the fun of it all. “Like you said, she’s not just any other Slytherin. So maybe you shouldn’t be poking your nose into something that you know nothing about.”

Without another word, Lucian tapped on Aeron’s shoulder lightly, trying to offer some sort of kindness, despite his heartrate rising from the younger boy’s aggravating accusations. After agreeing to disagree, the two of them took their respective spots on either side of Ana.

The Great Hall was packed to the brim, every student and teacher was back on the grounds. All accept one.

Ana craned her neck, looking for Draco among the bustling crowds of reunited friend groups. From her spot at the table it was hard to see anyone at all, and her view only got more obstructed once Lucian next to her. She offered him a smile before scoping the room yet again for the boy who was terrified the last time she saw him. Ana hoped he got her note and enjoyed his sweets, but she couldn’t be sure.

“You okay, blondie?” Lucian asked as he rolled a donut bite from his plate to hers.

“I think so, Lucy. Just looking for Draco.”

Before Ana could even finish her sentence, the older boy stood up on top of the Slytherin benches, using his height and added boost to his advantage. Ana got startled from his quick movement, but laughed loudly as she looked up at him, finding his gesture out of character, yet sweet.

Aeron smirked at the boy while Alex and Calista watched him with amused judgement, until Lucian plopped back down to his seat. With a dejected smile, he rolled another tiny dessert on to her plate.

“Couldn’t find him, Ana. I’m sorry.”

All four of her friends offered her gentle smiles; giving her small signs of solidarity. Despite being worried about her brother, she was surrounded by her best friends and delicious treats in the warmth of the castle. It wasn’t whole, but it was perfectly wonderful fragments of what she wanted. Ana returned their smiles with an even bigger one of her own, surprised that it wasn’t forced.

From across the hall, a collection of Gryffindors had taken glances at the girl. A set of twins, a nervous lion cub, and the boy who lived. They didn’t dare go up to her considering the whole school was in attendance, but she was still on their minds: all for different reasons.

When Ana caught a blur of red hair in her line of sight, she was reminded of a letter she sent out during break and made a note to bring it up later when dinner had ended. She popped the treat that Lucian sneaked on to her plate into her mouth, enjoying the taste of the sweet cinnamon sugar.

Alex and Calista were listening to something on her Walkman, at least that’s what she figured they were doing as the pretty brown girl held a huge pair of headphones between her and Alex. It made Ana smile, seeing a fellow Pureblood so fascinated with Muggle things. Ana was intrigued by them as well, but Alex’s involvement was on a whole other level.

Aeron, Lucian and Ana discussed the rest of the Quidditch season, recognizing that their loss was going to take them out of the running for the cup if they were to lose their next match. With the amount of training Ana had to do with Snape, the newest chaser feared she was going to be in over her head. She never imagined all the balancing of responsibilities she would have to juggle, and her head pounded at the idea of having to handle it all.

After dinner, the five of them retreated to the Slytherin common room, where Ana once again waited in the dreary hangout, hoping to find Draco. It worried her when he never showed up for supper and figured he must be hungry by this point. Her friends waited with her, Ana laying on top of Calista and Alex’s laps as they continued listening to music on that muggle contraption. She couldn’t pay attention to what the boys were talking about; all she wanted to do was close her eyes and wait for someone to alert her to the arrival of her brother.

But hours passed and the only things that changed was Ana had grew cold, making the older boy drape a blanket over the three girls. Alex and Calista had fallen asleep, leaning into each other in an uncomfortable position, while Ana laid still and quiet.

The last time she saw Draco, he was absolutely terrified and she feared something bad could have happened in her absence. She wished she had protested her father a bit, refused to leave the Manor without Draco, but Ana didn’t have much time to consider that when she was awoken so abruptly. Among all of that, Ana was upset with her mother, for not putting her foot down as soon as her father threatened Draco. Her mother was not a weak woman, but Ana resented the fact that she backed down in that moment.

Despite wanting to wait for him, Ana had fully passed out on the laps of her friends, snuggling into them in order to gain any bits of warmth she could. Meanwhile, Aeron and Lucian took it upon themselves to stay up for her, no matter how dry their eyes became or how heavy their lids were. Whenever one of them grew tired, the other would slap them or pinch them in order to wake them up. It was a painful system, but it worked.

In the middle of the night, the large doors to the common room closed with a clank, jerking the two boys out of their sleepy limbo. Among the shadows of the doorway, was Draco. In a blur of exhaustion and aggravation, Aeron and Lucian jumped up to confront the boy, all while trying to let the girls sleep.

When Draco saw the boys approach him, he made a quick dash for the dorms, scurrying as fast as he could with his shorter legs. Before he could get very far, Aeron and Lucian cut off his exit, standing tall shoulder to shoulder with scowls on their typically sweet faces.

“Where have you been?” Lucian asked, sounding like a father more than a fourteen year old. His height over Draco made him intimidating in that aspect, the little blonde’s head just reached around the beater’s shoulders. Not to mention, Lucian’s three years of nonstop Quidditch playing made him obviously stronger than the younger Malfoy.

However, it was the dark glare coming from Aeron that genuinely scared him. Aeron wasn’t the tallest, he wasn’t the strongest, but if he had to be, he was the meanest.

“I don’t have to answer to you,” Draco quipped at the two, shuffling on his heels as he looked for a way to pass them.

“No, but you have a sister to apologize to,” the eldest continued.

“Why do I have to report to Bibiana? She’s not my mother, and neither are you two sods.”

“Ana has been going mad trying to find you! All throughout dinner she kept looking around the Great Hall for you and she passed out over there hoping you’d show up. So why don’t you do us all a favor and tell us what’s going on?”

“Because it’s none of your business, Bole. Why don’t you just go back to hanging out with your bloodtraitor sister?”

Lucian’s pulse got stuck in his throat, finding it unbelievable that a person that tiny could be filled with so much rage. Draco stood confidently, finding his comeback effective on the oldest boy. With his defenses down, Lucian almost let the boy sneak passed, but Aeron would not allow it.

Before Draco could move, Aeron creeped closer to the boy, so close that Draco could perfectly see every outline of the burn scars on his face. When laughing, Aeron seemed carefree and harmless to the blonde boy, but in the shadows of the common room in the middle of the night, his features were now frightening. Aeron’s longer ashy hair hid his even darker eyes which were staring at Draco with unyielding intensity.

“Do not talk to Lucian like that,” he growled. “Do not disrespect your sister like that and do not assume that you are intimidating simply because your daddy tells you you are. Do you understand?”

Lucian’s eyes widened in surprise, seeing a glimpse of the annoyingly snarky boy from the year before; instead now, he was doing it in defense. Draco stayed incredibly still, trying to hide just how shaky his knees had become. Their showdown was buzzing with quiet nervous and furious energy amidst the snoring girls from a few feet away.

Aeron got even closer to the boy, their chests only a few inches from each other as he leaned down.

“I said, do you understand, Malfoy?”

Nervously, Draco nodded his head quickly, finding his odds at getting out of this victoriously a losing battle.

“We’re not here to bombard you, or frighten you. But look at that girl over there.”

Lucian pointed to a sleeping Ana, whose eyebrows were still furrowed in worry, even while asleep. Draco stared at her, his heart pounding at the idea of having to talk about what happened on Christmas Eve. He didn’t want to relive it and he believed that if he talked to her, Ana would bring it up. But as he peered over at his sister, he knew the boys were right.

“You will never find another person who cares about you more than that girl. Ana would do anything for you. Not Flint, not Crab Legs and Gargoyle. Ana,” Lucian finished. “Look we’ll cover for you this time-“

“We will?”

Lucian elbowed Aeron in the sternum, “But, we will find you if you do anything to hurt her. Just talk to her, kid. She misses you.”

Draco looked down at his shoes, finding the leather loafers the most interesting thing in the moment, but still nodded dejectedly.

Finally, with Lucian’s instruction, Aeron moved out of the way to allow Draco to move passed them, shuffling as fast as he could to his dorm.

The common room was peaceful again, the crackling of the fire and Alex’s throaty snores were the only sounds that filled the room. It had grown even darker, the torches and lamps did their best, but the common room glowed a gentle green hue from the surrounding Black Lake, making it even harder for the two boys to keep their eyes open. So they exchanged lazy smiles as they plopped back down on their couch from before-hand. Neither of them wanted to leave the girls alone by themselves in the common room; with that in mind, Aeron sprawled out on the couch with his legs on top of Lucian’s. Within a few minutes, their eyes closed as they yearned for sleep.

But before they could finally slip into unconsciousness, Lucian muttered into the silent room, his voice strained but certain.

“Don’t let Ana know.”

~

“Did they come in? Did they come in?”

Ana was bouncing on top of her bed with excitement, her round cheeks plumped out like little plums as she smiled widely. Calista placed a rather sizeable box out in front of the blonde girl, chuckling at her animated display. Alex was seated on Calista’s bed, her ears were covered with the headphones yet again as she swayed her feet back and forth mindlessly.

“Yes! They came in, now stop it!” Calista chuckled as Ana started to rip open the box, trying her best to not fully destroy the package considering she would need it again.

“Why did you want me to pick these up? You already had your Christmas gifts figured out.”

The Muggleborn watched Ana who finally got the items out of the box, squealing joyfully before shoving them back in the box and racing out of the dorms without a single word while knocking into the doorframe hard.

Alex busted out laughing at her, clutching her sides at the girl who unceremoniously slammed herself into the brick wall. Calista and Alex shared dumbfounded expressions before Calista collapsed onto her bed beside Alex. She pulled out a muggle magazine as the copper headed girl went back to listening to the music on their now shared Walkman.

“What’s gotten into that girl?” Alex hummed, closing her eyes as “Tiny Dancer” popped into her ears.

“I have absolutely no clue, Lex. But I can’t wait to find out.”


	32. The Hideaway

“It was for the twins?” Alex and Calista hollered loudly, making Ana stand up to shush them frantically as the bustling students returned to the Great Hall.

The box that Calista got for Ana was sent to their appropriate people, that being the twins to practically everyone's dismay. From across the room during breakfast one day, the owls had swarmed in overhead to bring everyone their post Between the talons of two barns owls, was the package, nearly knocking out Oliver Wood as the birds dropped it mid-flight.

“What was for the twins?” Aeron asked not as loudly as the girls but loud enough for Ana to survey if anyone around them could be listening to their conversation, panic rushing through her at the idea of being heard.

“Shhhh! Shut up, absolutely everyone shut up.”

Ana sat up higher on the bench as the twins opened up the box, but not before finding a small bit of parchment, holding it close to each other so no one else could look at it. Ron tried his hardest, but Fred was able to hold back the younger boy by holding him out at arm’s length. After a few unsuccessful swings, Ron gave up, rolling his eyes as Fred shoved the paper into his robe pocket wile George ripped open the makeshift packaging.

Their brown eyes grew twice their size in surprise, holding up two t-shirts with designs they didn’t recognize. In the first born's hands was a shirt that said “Nirvana” on it with a smiley face while George held one with three boys on it with the words “Hanson”.

By this point all of Ana’s friends had their eyes glued to the two boys with expressions of both amusement and confusion, wondering why in the world Ana would get the twins muggle t-shirts of all things. Meanwhile, the young blonde watched with a hazy smile as her favorite duo admired the t-shirts before shoving them on over their robes. The shirts squeezed them, given there was already too many layers beneath them, but the sight made Ana chuckle quietly.

“Since when have you been talking to them again?” Lucian whispered, noticing that Ana was making an effort to be on the more hushed side.

Aeron took particular interest in Lucian’s question, his mind reverting back to the year prior when he asked the older boy to take her back to the Slytherin common room. The prank that left her broken and shivering left the boy simmering with a quiet anger as he waited for her response.

“It’s been- Look, I’m not entirely sure how to explain it, but the twins aren’t that bad.”

Alex rolled her eyes exaggeratedly while Calista studied her with her big brown eyes. Ana didn’t think about how her friends would react at her gift for the boys, she was too caught up in the excitement of doing something kind for them. Yet her foot tapped quickly beneath her robes, fighting off the nerves she felt at them judging her relationship with the lions.

“They’re not bad, Lex! Seriou-“

“You’ve gotta be kidding me! The gits who nearly drowned you? You’re chummy with them now?”

“I’m with Alex on this one,” Aeron grumbled as he gulped down a bit of juice, his hooded lids gazing up at her with a stern expression.

Feeling overwhelmed by her friends’ disappointment, Ana dropped her head, rolling around the donut that Lucian had given her. She felt her heart sink; for the whole year, the twins had been nothing but kind to her. Sure their childish behavior and annoying snide comments were worthy of an eye roll at best, but they didn’t deserve this criticism.

When she needed it, they fed her, they clothed her. They provided her protection, albeit from their own pranks, but they never questioned helping her when it came to getting Flint off Aeron’s back with their quirky antics. She assumed they’d be more annoyed by her fighting with the twins, not making peace with them.

Ana despised being in her position and wondered for a moment if being sorted into Gryffindor would’ve been better. Before anyone else could say another word, Ana felt herself growing colder, resenting the reaction from the people who were supposed to treat her like family. Within the span of a few minutes, she went from giddy, to anxious, to empty, finding the ends of her hair the most interesting thing in the room. The older boy beside her could sense her unease, pouring her more pumpkin juice as a sign of solidarity, but her gaze never lifted from her lap.

As soon as she was done with her meal, Ana raced out of the Great Hall, needing to get ready to spend another riveting weekend shouting at her potion’s master. However, with class back in session, she was told to meet him by the edge of the grounds, once again having to endure the harsh winter air. Despite the sting it made as the icy breeze bit her skin, Ana preferred that over the frigid reactions her friends gave her.

When she met the man at their meeting place, he gestured for her to follow him, both of them trying their hardest to keep themselves inconspicuous. She hated feeling so upset with her friends, so instead she focused on the elated faces of Fred and George, finding it was a source of heat among the storm.

After a few minutes of walking through the uneven snowy grounds, the two of them settled at the base of a spindly tree, one Ana had seen on more than one occasion.

“Professor, isn’t this tree rat-“

“Silence, Ms. Malfoy,” he grumbled as he wiped a drip of snot from his hooked nose. “Did you honestly think I would encounter a tree such as this without a plan in mind?”

He sauntered around the tree, sizing it up while nearly tripping on the length of his robes which dragged in the snow. Ana couldn’t imagine how that was a smart idea, the man would have cold ankles for the rest of the day. However, her train of thought was cut off as soon as she saw him take his wand, meticulously searching the tree and huffing as he poked a knot with the instrument. The tree that once swayed on its own accord stood still, like every other tree on the property.

Snape stood back, extending his arm like a condor as he pointed to the base of the tree.

“Jump.”

Ana was about to question his method until she saw a limb of the tree twitch; wherever he was instructing her to go was better than the idea of being skewered by a rouge branch. Without much though, she followed his instructions, leaping down the bank of snow and letting out a small yelp. Her hands met the cold and muddy base of the tree, looking up to find the roots of the willow exposed like a nerve. Quickly she moved out of the way, rubbing her dirty mittens in an attempt to remove the mud. But every time she swiped it against her robes, the little “F” on her wool gift was still be covered in dirt.

After Snape hopped down into the pit, he once again moved ahead of her, making her trail after his snow drenched steps. She started to worry about wherever he was leading her to, her hand situated securely around her wand, making it smudged with mud from her landing. The nature-made steps went on for what felt like forever, and Ana begin to miss the fierce cold air that waited just a few feet from her head.

Soon enough, Snape made one last flight, opening a hitch that brought in light from above. He continued on, clanking is feet against the wobbly wooden floor of their destination. Ana’s eyes shut in disgust at him nearly getting snow on her robes, but she was more interested in where her passageway left her.

“This, Ms. Malfoy, is where we will be conducting out Legilimency training from here on out. Cannot possibly risk getting caught at the hands of anyone.”

“Anyone?”

Ana began walking around the perimeter of the room, her question hung in the silence. She grimaced at the inch thick layer of dust that covered every visible surface. If she dared take in a deep breath, she figured she’d clog her lungs with the dead particles that aged the place. The windows were boarded up, looking more like a dump than a perfectly good place to train.

“No one can know we are here,” he hissed before waving his wand, illuminating the room by blasting the dreadful fireplace with a flame. “This humble paradise has housed monsters before, Ms. Malfoy, but now, it will be a place to test your strength and your skill. I hope you ate a decent breakfast, because I will not be escorting you back to the castle for lunch.”

By the time Ana had finished her training with the potion’s master, she was tired but ultimately happy with the amount of progress she had been making. It wasn’t immense, but tapping through the barrier he built in his mind was becoming easier to break every time she muttered the spell in his direction. And every time she did, Ana could tell that Snape was growing more pleased with her skills.

After retracing her steps through the muddy steps and out of the Whomping Willow, Ana raced to the Great Hall in order to make it in time for dinner. Thankfully Snape didn’t insist on her skipping anymore meals than was necessary, despite her stomach always roaring hungrily at the end of every session.

Her hands were frozen, molded to the shape of her wand as she stretched them out the moment she made it back to the castle. From her pockets, she unveiled her maroon mittens, smiling at the warmth the wool provided her. They were due for a washing, she noticed, finding the mud on them unsightly. With a tiny frown, she placed them back in the safety of her robes.

Soup and sandwiches sounded brilliantly, and she filled her plate to the brim, her eyes being bigger than her stomach. The surrounding tables were on the emptier side given that she just made it to dinner at the final minutes, but that didn’t bother her. Ana had grown used to the solitude during her winter break.

Through the slurping of her tomato soup and crumbly sandwich, she hardly noticed her baby brother sneaking up beside her. His flash of white blonde hair shocked her, making her drop her spoon into her soup with a splash. She coughed on her meal as he looked at her with a soft smirk, laughing at her reaction to him.

“Ana, perhaps you should swallow your food instead of inhaling it.”

She rolled her eyes at him in annoyance but on the inside, Ana was freaking out at him approaching her. Her messy food covered face was wiped clean in an instant, as she waited for her brother to say something, anything else.

He remained quiet for a moment too long, which only made the girl panic.

“I got your owl.”

His voice was quiet and plain, not giving her an inkling as to how he really felt. Draco sat tall and proud, putting on a show despite the room being fairly vacant. Ana too was reminded of her appearance, mimicking his painful formal posture in an attempt to seem sophisticated despite her tired mind.

“Did you enjoy the sweets?” Ana hummed, refusing to eat another bite.

“I did, thanks.”

Draco’s big blue eyes peered into her own, the tones matching perfectly. Neither knew what else to say. The last time they were together was a bit of a disaster, and both wanted nothing to do with it. Remembering Christmas Eve was too much to bear for the two children.

“Was Christmas Day good?”

Draco simply nodded.

As did Ana.

Neither of them looked at the other anymore, and Ana’s only solace came from twirling her spoon in her soup, mentally screaming at the red spot that landed on her tie. It was not enough to distract her, so she started listening to the other clanking of silverware from the stragglers in the hall. She didn’t know what to say.

“I actually have something for you,” Draco mumbled, making Ana second guess whether or not she heard him correctly. But as he began rummaging through his own robes, she knew that she understood him perfectly.

A cold chill ran through her body as she realized what Draco had to give her. Her expression didn’t betray her, but her heartrate left her feeling slightly faint. In his bony little hands was the knit hat Mrs. Weasley had made her for Christmas, the very one that she had left underneath her pillow on Christmas Eve. The one she thought was hidden well enough.

“I found this when I was looking for the sweets.”

He offered it to her, with a pointed look. She knew he was curious about it, but she couldn’t even begin to think about how she was going to talk herself out of this one. Reluctantly, she took the gift in her hands, finding it just as perfect as the day she got it. Her face flushed as she remembered her initial was woven into the thick fabric.

“Thanks,” she smiled quickly at him, only to shove the winter wear into her robe pockets with the matching mittens. Ana didn’t dare look at him, fearing he would ask where she got them.

Her heart pounded in her ears, taking sips of soup to busy her worried mind, but he never questioned them. He softly smiled at her, before mumbling a goodbye and walking out the Great Hall.

~

Unfortunately for her, the days went by in a blur. And then so did the weeks. Every day felt like the last.

Her birthday came and went, being accented by the little card Draco had sent her in the mail, which made her smile. She hated bringing attention to her birthday, but having her little brother remember and make the effort to acknowledge it made her rejoice even a tiny bit. He was still hanging out with Flint and his bumbling band of idiots, but he was keeping a lower profile, which calmed the blonde’s nerves. Ana found he wasn’t ignoring her anymore, he didn’t go out of his way to seek her out since he returned her hat, but at least he wasn’t running away whenever he saw her. It was a small victory, but one she cared about.

Soon enough, February snuck by her like it never happened. As did March. And April.

The only indicator to the young girl that time was slipping from her grasp was the changing of her attire, finding her mittens and thicker skirts far too warm as days passed. She had assumed that she would only be spending a bit of time with Snape, doing their weekend training sessions and then calling it a day. However, once Ana performed the spell at long distance, the potion’s master was keener on her training every day, regardless of whether she had plans or not.

Most nights she would arrive to her dorm to find Alex and Calista already fast asleep, sometimes both of them were on Alex’s bed with various cassettes surrounding them and the muggleborn’s headphones tangled within the sheets. Or they were in their respective beds and snoring up a storm. Ana typically hated any noise as she slept, but she would sit up, longer than she had to and exhausted as ever just to share the space with them. She ate breakfast and dinner with them, lunch on most days and sat beside Aeron during classes, but her mind was elsewhere, making it hard for her to interact with them.

All Ana could focus on was Legilimency: how to perform it, when to perform it, how to hide the fact that she was even learning it from the people she loved the most. It was taking a toll on all aspects of her life.

But meal times were the worst. She hated sitting in the center of her friend group and feeling like she was so far removed from them. Aeron and Alex were arguing over some dumb Charms assignment while Calista played the mediator as Lucian worked diligently on his Ancient Runes homework. The little swiggles and dots and dashes on his paper confused her beyond belief.

“Well, I’m planning on taking Divination next year!”

“Divination? With that batty lady who hurt Ana? Why would you want that?” Aeron asked Alex as they starting flinging bits of paper at each other with their spoons acting as launchers.

“It’s not like I’m going to be best friends with the bird, I’m just interested in the stars and stuff. My marks in Astronomy are the best in our year, Wright,” Alex jokingly sneered at the boy who shook his head.

“What about Arithmancy? Anyone interested in that?” Calista asked the group.

“I am.”

Aeron, Alex, and Calista’s heads shot up at the sound of Ana’s convincing tone, their body’s tensed the moment the girl spoke. The reaction did nothing to settle Ana’s nerves.

“Look, she finally wants to talk,” Alex hummed as she plopped a meatball into her mouth, but not before Calista elbowed the girl in the ribs.

“Don’t be a prat, Lex,” Lucian lightly scolded without taking his eyes off his squiggly parchment.

“No! I’m just surprised. Usually, she just sits there like a statue.”

“If you wanna take Arithmancy, I’d join you,” Aeron smiled at her. She didn’t notice it before, but his hair had now grown to the length of his shoulders, making him look like a wolf due to its ashy brown color. Very different from the boy he used to be, but she liked it.

“I think I’d love the company,” Ana returned Aeron’s kind expression before turning back to Alex, speaking in her usual joking manner. “But no, I definitely will not be taking Divination. My one and only run in with Trelawney was enough for me. Thank you very much.”

Lucian huffed lightly beside her, a grin pulling at his face every time she spoke.

“I’m gonna take Arithmancy and Ancient Runes.”

At the sound of his favorite class, Lucian’s head bolted up excitedly as he shoved his homework in front of her, enthusiastically pointing out what the figures meant which made his little sister roll her eyes. The group of five went on the whole meal discussing their following schedules for the coming year, which only made Ana realize how much time she had missed due to spending most of it with the Slytherin Head of House.

The year was slipping by, but a gentle smirk from her baby brother brought her back down. He was sitting with Crabbe, Goyle, Theo and Blaise, telling them some sort of story that was probably heavily fabricated, but he took a moment from performing to chuckle at her. It was short lived and accompanied by him throwing a cookie at her and her friends, but it was perfect. And Alex got a cookie out of it.


	33. The Highs and Lows

Ana was exhausted.

As the term continued, Ana realized that her friends weren’t the only things she was neglecting. With how busy she was outside of classes, Ana’s involvement with the world of Quidditch was suffering dismally. Thankfully the matches that were taking place involved the other houses, but with her match against Hufflepuff, Ana knew that she wasn’t going to be prepared.

With a mind full of memories that weren’t her own, Ana felt like her head would pop; too much was going in and there was no real time for her to let them all out. Her responsibilities as a chaser all but vanished, and Ana wished for the chance to go back to the first half of the year to actually get the chance to enjoy the game. Instead, she feared how badly she would let her team down.

But no matter how hard she tried that game, she couldn’t keep up. Her fatigued mind and body left her practically useless on the field. Whenever she passed the Quaffle to Pucey or Flint, it was always intercepted by the Hufflepuff chasers, and Ana feared her head would be busted in by the ferocity of the opposing beaters. She scored around 40 points, but even that could’ve been an overestimation.

It was a grueling match, despite only lasting forty five minutes. The sun beat down on her so strongly, too strongly for it being only April, yet the bright light burned her eyes, making her miss goals that she otherwise could have made.

Hufflepuff demolished the Slytherin team with a disappointing final of 280-90 and the rest of the school celebrated her defeat with thunderous applause.

The moments after the game were the worst, she remembered how fiercely Flint hollered the time they lost against Gryffindor: a game that she was in tip-top shape for. Two losses meant they were out of the running for the Quidditch Cup. Their season was over and the reigning champs went from first place to dead last. It was embarrassing. 

Ana was putting away her Nimbus 2000, wiping a drop of sweat from her eyebrow, when a large fist pounded the cage beside her head. Her heart caught in her throat, turning quickly to see Flint staring at her with flared nostrils and a blazing glare.

“What the hell was that Malfoy?” He hollered, making the rest of the teammates fall silent. She could hear her pulse in her ears with how quiet the usual bustling room was. “Last game you played with a broken wrist, how come you couldn’t play at all today?”

His tone was bitter and acidic, if it was a potion it would cut through even the toughest of metal and stone. The older boy's larger stature left her uneasy, the now sixteen year old towered over her, making her search the room for Lucian, but he was nowhere to be seen.

“I just had an off game, Flint, it happens. How many times of you lost a game for your team?” She asked sweetly even though she knew he had a reason to be upset. The hairs on the back of her neck stood tall even as the sun was strong, Ana would rather lose another game than admit she was scared of the seething boy.

“Oh piss off, Malfoy,” he chuckled darkly, throwing his hands up at her defiance. He didn’t catch it, but Ana flinched slightly at the way he flung his arms. But the way he inched closer to her as his voice grew louder did nothing to calm her nerves.

“What? D’you think you’re some big deal just because you’re a Malfoy? Well, I’ll have you know that no one, absolutely, no one could give a damn about that. You’re nothing but a spoiled, rotten, b-“

“Hey!”

Flint’s head whipped to the side, his teeth bared like an angry hyena at the sight of Lucian, whose usually gentle face was curled in a snarl. Lucian wasn’t as old as Flint, but as the younger of the two sauntered up towards Ana, she could tell that age had nothing to do with intimidation. Lucian’s clear blue eyes were practically gray as he stood before the older boy, their chests less than a foot apart. With the brewing storm between the two, Ana wanted to stay clear from the debris as she took much needed steps away. She had never in her life seen Lucian look so angry. His was a whole different person.

“Don’t you dare talk to her like that.”

Flint huffed at the younger boy, trying to size him up, only to find that Lucian would be a fair fighter given he was the beater of the team. His snarling teeth poked out from his snarl, “You won’t get an apology out of me if that’s what you’re after.”

Lucian chuckled lowly at the captain, his brows strained as he straightened his posture and twiddled his beater's bat in his hands. Ana was fixated on he object in his olive toned grip, wondering if he would actually crush Flint's head in retaliation. Surely, not.

Ana's heart beat quickened at the image of Lucian’s eyes which were narrowing in anger, judging the boy who felt like berating a thirteen year old girl for poor performance.

“Your apologies don’t mean jack, Flint. I’m not looking for one. I’m here to let you know,” Lucian leaned in even closer to the older boy, his words dripping like ice as he pushed the end of his bat against the captain's chest, “Just be happy we’re done with the season. Cause if we were to go out right now, for one last game, the only thing I’d be aiming for is your head.”

~

Thank god the season was over. Since the blowup, Lucian would send daggers over to the captain anytime he saw them for the rest of the term, and Ana feared that they would both be kicked off the team because of it. But Flint never made any attempt to get near them since their loss, a result that made her incredibly happy. Flint also kept his distance from Draco, which made Ana relieved; it always bugged her how he would prefer to hang around eleven and twelve year olds instead of his own classmates.

With her training with Snape and attempting to stay involved with her friends, her second year came to an abrupt close. Her marks in History of Magic were dreadful, given she had no time to study with Aeron. Thankfully he was hanging out with the others to much to notice her lack of flashcards. She barely slipped by with a passing grade; her anxiety spiked at the outcome, but she soon found peace with it, even if it was absolutely horrible.

Ravenclaw had taken the Quidditch Cup, defeating Gryffindor in the final match; a match that Ana missed. Snape sensed that there was no need for her to attend since Slytherin wasn’t playing. She couldn’t possibly tell him that she wanted to go to support the twins. So instead, she trained with the man, hearing the roar of the crowd as they made their way to the dusty old hideout. It was torturous, being so close to where she would rather be, but instead she was off learning a skill that she didn’t know would actually ever help her with a man who probably hated her.

With all her exams behind her, Ana sat at the Slytherin table with her friends, picking at her last meal of the term and feeling warm, but not from the summer heat that passed through the castle. 

"No! I'm taller look!" Aeron yelled loudly, bouncing up from his seat to run around the table just to stand next to a smug looking Alex.

"Doubt it, pip squeak, I'm older than you. So I must be taller."

Ana was giggling at the two who had been fighting about their heights for the better half of the hour. 

They stood back to back, making Lucian decide you indeed was the taller of the two. He smiled warmly as he leaned over the table to measure, his tie would've fallen into his soup if Ana hadn't held it up. He snickered down at her as he focused on his sister and newly found friend.

"Sorry, Wright. Sis has you beat," he chuckled as he plopped back down next to Ana, pouring the both of them some more pumpkin juice. Ana's glass wasn't even empty.

Calista was crying from laughing so hard, mainly because Aeron's scarred face dropped dramatically at the reveal, his jaw nearly fell to the floor. Alex smirked at him and settled herself next to Calista with a dignified sense of self, taking a big bite out of her dinner roll.

Instead of running around the table again, Lucian shifted the boy's plate to the other side, which Aeron acknowledged with a soft smile. 

"Don't worry about it, Aeron!" Calista exclaimed as she reached into her robes. "This, I think, will make up for it."

Aeron's face lit up at the sight of a little bottle of magenta nail polish in Calista's manicured grasp, completely forgetting about his dinner as he flattened both of his hands on the Slytherin table. The offer made Ana sigh in contentment, it was the last chance he'd get to have his nails painted by the muggleborn; she adored that they were able to bond over something so small.

By this time, Lucian was showing Ana his Ancient Runes results, pointing out anything he got wrong on his test so she would be better prepared once she started learning in the following year. Ana couldn’t retain much of what he said, but from his wide grin and puppy dog demeanor, she didn’t dare interrupt him, especially since she was going to be without him for a few months after that night.

Everyone else in the Great Hall started muttering to themselves once Harry, Ron and their bushy haired friend sat down at the Gryffindor table. The school was buzzing with the rumor that involved the trio and from the bits and pieces she could connect, apparently he defeated the Dark Lord. Again.

Ana doubted it, considering that The Daily Prophet would have covered the story if it were indeed true, and yet there was no mention of it when the paper arrived that morning. If the rumor was true, than she would be as fearful as the next kid. Until then, there was no reason to speculate. All Ana wanted was to be awarded the House Cup for the second year in a row; Slytherin had worked so hard to earn the points and the effort made Ana proud of her house.

Towards the end of her meal, Ana’s belly was full and yet she nearly forced down another chocolate covered strawberry and Alex followed suit, although that wasn’t a surprise to anyone.

“Hey, uh, Ana,” Aeron whispered to her, making her direct her attention from her dessert to the boy. He was shuffling in his seat, twiddling his boney fingers around a thread of his robes. “Do you think maybe we could hang out over the summer?”

Ana’s blue eyes widened at the question, never once expecting he would ask to spend time together during the break. His voice was quiet, giving Ana the impression that he was unsure of whether or not he should have even asked her. It made sense, they lived relatively close from everything he had mentioned before, whereas the Boles and Calista were further out of the way. He was a Pureblood, and a Pureblood who had some sort of ties to her family, already. Perhaps her father would allow it.

With a wide grin, Ana nodded quickly, which made Aeron’s splotchy red face break out in the toothiest smile she had ever seen from the boy. It was a good look on him: better than the pinched look it had at rest.

“Just let me talk to my parents, but I think it should work out!”

Their smiles lasted for the duration of dessert, but from across the hall a certain lion felt more like a bunny rabbit. He saw her smile and so desperately wished it was him who was the cause of it.

Almost as if she could feel his gaze, Ana looked up, her glowing bright eyes meeting Fred’s deeper ones. And if it were possible, Ana’s smile grew tenfold. Due to her training, she barely had a chance to talk to him and George, but the mere sight of him reminded her of why she got them the t-shirts in the first place. 

He held up a chocolate strawberry that he had stolen from Percy’s plate and lifted it up in solidarity with her. The young snake peered around her table, and after noticing no one was watching her, she lifted her strawberry like he did, just not as high. From across the hall, they enacted a “cheers” and took bites out of their sweet treat hap[ily.

Their gaze was disrupted by Professor Dumbledore coughing at the podium at the head of the hall, his usual deep indigo robes glimmered even from a distance. He held his wand up to his throat, amplifying the sound of his kind voice as he began recounting the highlights of the year. That included announcing Ravenclaw as the Quidditch Cup, making Ana’s stomach turn knowing she let down her own team.

Finally, the man recounted the standings of the House points for Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and at the top, Slytherin. They had a one hundred point lead over Gryffindor who was their closest competition the year prior, a fantastic yet bittersweet understanding.

It was all unravelling perfectly, until Dumbledore kept talking.

He began giving out points to Hermione Granger for answering a potions riddle from Snape which baffled Ana. She chuckled at the idea of earning that much for something so minor, almost wishing she told the Headmaster she could vaguely perform Legilimens in order to gain some points herself. And then Ron was awarded fifty points for playing chess, which nearly made Alex’s head explode. She sat on her heels on top of the wooden bench as if she was going to pounce on something, only sitting back down when Calista pulled her back.

Every Slytherin wished for the old man to stop blubbering out points, resigned mumbles and swears releasing once he awarded Harry sixty points for defeating Quirrell. Lucian’s brows were furrowed in concentration, working hard to file through his thoughts.

“Merlin, they’ve tied us. Guys, they’ve tied us,” Lucian exclaimed with worry. “Damn it!”

Dumbledore went on a whole spiel about bravery and enemies, making Ana wonder what that had to do with the House Cup to any degree. The air in the large room seemed to have ran out, any student in green was on high alert after every word that dripped from the old man’s mouth.

“Stop, stop, stop…” Aeron muttered beneath his breath, as he and many others at their table were leaning up against it.

“I award 10 points to Neville Longbottom.”

And with the clap of his hands, the banners and decorations that once celebrated Slytherin House altered from a stunning silver and emerald to gold and crimson.

The entire room erupted in screams and hollers at the change in scenery, whereas Alex, Aeron and practically every other Slytherin was swearing and yelling in contempt. Draco had thrown his hat down on the table and slapped one of his friends that was clapping by mistake. Ana sat dejectedly at the results, her attention brought to the bunch of Weasleys that were the loudest in the hall.

From across the room, Neville looked up at Ana, his buck teeth on display as his large ears and chubby cheeks flushed a red that almost matched his robes. He looked nervous for a moment, until Ana gave him a congratulatory head nod and began clapping for him. Ana hated how their award had been, in her opinion, wrongly stolen from them, but if Neville was the one to win it for Gryffindor, she could look past it.

The rest of the night was filled with heavy sighs and screaming from most of the older Slytherins. The graduating students ripped their green ties off and threw them along with their old classwork on the ground of the common room. Every surface was soon covered in a layer seventh year seething anger, which only made the younger students either uncomfortable or partake in the outrage.

Lucian and Derrick made a point to swing their beaters bats around the room, rounding up the oldest boys to their dorms before they started something on fire due to their sour moods. Thankfully it didn’t take too long and soon enough, the common room returned to its usually dim and quiet aura.

After dinner, they all went to their respective dorms. Ana, Alex, and Calista were jumping around their room, dancing to whatever music the muggleborn had deemed was important enough to introduce to the wizarding world. Clearly she had missed the memo once Alex grabbed a hair brush and started singing loudly in it, screaming about purple rain. Neither Calista nor Alex missed a word, both of them practically screeching late into the night as they packed for going home for the summer.

Ana cried from laughter once Alex jumped on Calista’s bed, absolutely ruining the expertly folded clothes that were laid on top of it.

“For that you are taking down all my posters, Bole! And if there’s so much as a rip, a tiny tear in any of them I will hunt you down!”

Calista started chasing Alex around the room, jumping over Ana who was sitting on the floor at the base of her trunk.

A sudden knock on their door, made all three girls halt in fear. It was past midnight, so everyone should have been asleep by this time. Alex shuffled to the door, her copper hair looked more like a bundle of hay than anything, one sock hanging from her toes.

When she opened the door, a smaller black haired girl sneered at them all with disgust. Her inky hair just about reached her chin and if Ana had to compare her, she would say that she was the spitting image of a tiny Snape if he were a girl.

“Would you shut up! Some of us are trying to get some sleep,” Pansy Parkinson shouted before sashaying away, her hair flopping on either side of her head like a bloodhound’s ears.

Once the girl was out of earshot, the girls croaked bubbles of laughter that were louder than any music they played that night. Alex’s eyes grew wide as she shut the door quickly. Her back was against it, and from the other side was a harsh pounding and wailing from the first year.

A few minutes passed and when the coast was clear, Alex was finally able to return to packing all her clothes and taking down Calista’s posters carefully. It was late when they finished and all three of them were weighed down from the events of the day.

Most nights ended up like, with Ana watching her two friends sleeping peacefully as she sat up in her bed. Her Dreamless Sleep Potion was always available to her, and yet she refused to drink it until she was on the verge of passing out from her own exhaustion. Ana liked being awake.

With her second year coming to a close, the young blonde girl reflected on what had happened that year. Joining the Quidditch team, being chased by a troll, and learning Legilimency were all standout moments. But she smiled more as she thought about the Weasley twins and Neville. She never assumed she would grow so fond of a few Gryffindors, and yet, Ana’s mind and worry extended to the tower that was on the other side of the castle.

She wanted to tell someone about it before she left, but her dorm mates were asleep and she wasn’t able to get into the boy’s rooms. Remembering her multiple nights out during Christmas break, Ana hopped out of her bed and gathered her wand before slipping on her shoes.

The castle was as still as ever, an image that was suddenly growing less ominous every time she snuck out of the Slytherin dorms. Ana was surprised that she had never got caught and chuckled at the idea of Filch being so incredibly clueless, unable to crack down on her even once.

Her feet brought her to where she needed to be on their own accord, rounding every corner and avoiding every book shelf until she arrived at the back of the library. Ana found that talking to Neville’s parents brought her a great deal of comfort. They weren’t able to talk to her, but their animated expressions were worth telling her secrets, woes, and successes to.

Ana turned the handle of the familiar room with a happy heart.

As soon as she peered into the large haven, her dazzling blue eyes and round cheeks fell, being replaced with a painful pout. She felt a know form in her throat from sadness. 

The mirror was gone.

The room that once held the crumbling ornate mirror was now nothing more than a large, lightless room; one that once brought her such peace was bare. And yet her feet still brought her to the spot where the image of Neville’s parents once stood. She could still see the faint line of dust in the floor where the mirror had been for so long.

It brought her closer to Neville and even to Harry in a strange way. But it brought her closer to a set of parents who actually seemed to care about what she had to say.

But now it was nothing. With a miserable sigh, Ana straightened out her robes, trying her hardest to not cry over the missing decoration. She sniffled and shook her head, working off the rush of emotions that filled her entire body. The tears never fell, although for the first time, in a long time, they almost did.

Despondently, Ana ascended the tiered steps until she reached the door she had just entered. She let her eyes linger on the spot for a second more before leaving where she had come.

There was no one left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely readers!
> 
> This is the end of Part One of "The Girl Who Vanished". I just wanted to add a little note here to express my appreciation.
> 
> When I first started writing this story, I had no idea whether anyone would ever take interest in it. But with quarantine and a lot of tiktoks, I felt compelled to write this story; a story that had been rolling around in my mind for far too long. Call it self indulgent, call it a wild daydream, but it gave me an outlet.
> 
> I am forever grateful for anyone and everyone who has taken the time to read TGWV. Every comment is read, every vote makes me smile and the amount of times y'all have made my day is countless.
> 
> This story has not only made me a better writer but it gave me a community and I could not thank you enough.
> 
> With all that said, Part Two already has its own book and that one will be updated; it includes Ana's 3rd and 4th years.
> 
> Expect a lot more of the twins, a ton of new secrets and some pretty gnarly revelations. Part One is filled with some spoilers and easter eggs that will make sense later on and I hope y'all are ready to connect the dots. It's a lot.
> 
> Once again, thank you so much. My life is better because of y'all.
> 
> Alright. Sappy sh!t over. Imma go write. Peace out.
> 
> -Car  
> Your-Friendly-Neighbourhood-Fanfic-Writer


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